China Xplained | Is China's AI leading the world? Here's what top AI expert tells me

Is China overtaking the world in artificial intelligence (AI)? To answer this question, I visited some of Guangdong's top AI firms and sat down with Dr. Doranda Doo, International Chief AI Officer at the World Digital Technology Academy, to understand where China stands in the global AI race.

Dr. Doo emphasizes that AI capability depends on three key factors: data, computing power, and algorithms. While the U.S. has traditionally led in these areas, China is rapidly catching up.

In terms of data, China's vast real economy generates an enormous amount of industry-specific data. Dr. Doo points out that China's AI models, particularly DeepSeek, have demonstrated impressive capabilities in processing Chinese-language data, a crucial advantage in AI development.

Computing power has long been a challenge, with the U.S. dominating in high-end chips. However, China is making strides—domestically produced chips are being manufactured at a staggering rate of 50 million per hour. According to Dr. Doo, collaborations like that between iFlytek and Huawei show that China's Ascend 910B chip can now rival Nvidia's A100 in computational power.

Talent is another battleground. Many Chinese-American scientists are returning to China due to rising tensions between the U.S. and China. Dr. Doo notes that institutions like HKUST (Guangzhou) have rapidly climbed global AI rankings, partly due to an influx of top researchers.

Looking ahead, Dr. Doo outlines a three-phase strategy for China's AI development: short-term breakthroughs in chips, mid-term advancements in research and applications, and long-term leadership in fundamental AI innovation.

Reporter: Xie Hongzhou

Script: Xie Hongzhou

Host: Xie Hongzhou

Cameraman: Guo Hongda

Video: Guo Hongda

Poster: Cai Junru

Editor: Yuan Zixiang, James, Shen He