The Tech Download: China’s AI surge — real threat or hype? (www.cnbc.com)

Analyst Rory Green has suggested that within the next five to ten years, much of the world’s population might rely on a Chinese tech stack, underscoring China's ambition to challenge U.S. dominance in AI. With significant advancements in compute-efficient model development and a robust focus on open-source technologies, Chinese firms are positioning themselves competitively against Western giants like Nvidia. However, they face substantial hurdles, including export controls limiting access to high-performance GPUs and a general lag behind leading AI entities such as OpenAI and Google, as highlighted by various experts. China's efficiency-driven approach in AI model development is noteworthy, achieving strong performance with lower computational costs, a strategy shaped by both necessity and design. The country's recent energy expansion further supports the growth of its AI infrastructure, enhancing capabilities to deploy AI at scale. As the global AI landscape evolves towards a "multi-polar" model, where various regions and entities contribute to the AI ecosystem, the competition is expected to intensify. With substantial backing from the Chinese government and a growing emphasis on value realization over sheer model performance, the next few years will be crucial in determining whether China's ambitions in AI will bear fruit on a global scale.