The AI arms race isn’t about who crosses the finish line first with the biggest model – it’s a marathon demanding stamina, resources, and strategy. Financial Times’ Tej Parikh makes a compelling case that China, with its energy wealth, open-source innovation, and production might, is primed to prevail.
While OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic lead today via premium chip access, Chinese contenders are surging. DeepSeek, Alibaba, Moonshot AI – their LLMs are swiftly bridging the capability chasm.
Open-source is China’s secret weapon. Freely shared models invite worldwide collaboration, spurring rapid evolution that closed models can’t match.
British firm Capital Economics chimes in: algorithmic smarts, data excellence, and holistic design keep Chinese AI competitive. With AI’s voracious energy appetite, China’s supplies provide unmatched endurance.
This isn’t mere speculation. As models grow hungrier for power, U.S. constraints could falter. China’s ecosystem – from hardware fabrication to developer communities – builds a formidable moat. Global stakeholders watch as the marathon unfolds, with Beijing pacing itself for the win.