MERICS – China's Drive Toward Self-Reliance in Artificial Intelligence: From Chips to Large Language Models

China's drive toward self-reliance in artificial intelligence (AI) is a strategic move for national and economic security.

In the face of US technology export controls, Beijing has made "independent and controllable" AI a key objective. The Chinese semiconductor industry has managed to produce its own AI chips, but their performance still lags behind American developers like Nvidia. In terms of models and applications, China is catching up with the US, actively participating in global open-source communities. The future of China's AI ecosystem will depend on external factors, including access to advanced chips and involvement in the global open-source community.