China has narrowed the artificial intelligence (AI) development gap with the United States to just three months in certain areas, according to Lee Kai-fu, the CEO of Chinese AI startup 01.AI.
Lee, a key figure in the global AI landscape and former head of Google China, highlighted that firms like DeepSeek have found innovative ways to use chips and apply algorithms more efficiently, propelling China closer to catching up with the U.S.
Lee made these remarks in an interview with Reuters, noting that the launch of DeepSeek’s AI reasoning model in January marked a significant milestone.
The model, trained with less advanced chips, was cheaper to develop compared to Western counterparts, challenging the assumption that U.S. sanctions were stalling China’s AI sector. "Previously, the gap was six to nine months in many areas. Now it’s probably just three months behind in core technologies, and actually ahead in some specific areas," Lee said.
He added that Washington’s semiconductor sanctions had presented short-term challenges for Chinese firms but had also spurred innovation. Lee pointed out how Chinese companies, like DeepSeek, had developed new algorithms under constraints, including a novel approach to reinforcement learning. This method shows users the reasoning behind AI decisions, a capability first developed by OpenAI but not yet available to users in its current form.
Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, China’s tech sector has rapidly entered the generative AI race, but DeepSeek’s breakthrough has marked a key turning point. Until DeepSeek’s release, many Chinese tech leaders had expressed concerns about their lag behind Western rivals.
Lee, who founded 01.AI in March 2023, emphasized that investing in proprietary models was a "courageous" move for startups in a market dominated by well-established giants and fast-evolving open-source alternatives. While many of China’s top tech companies, including Baidu, Alibaba, and ByteDance, are building foundational models, 01.AI is focusing on practical AI applications, such as software solutions that help clients deploy AI technology effectively.
Earlier this month, 01.AI launched Wanzhi, a software platform designed to assist enterprises in adopting AI solutions. The company has already begun generating revenue, and Lee expects substantial growth in 2025, projecting that revenue will significantly exceed the $15 million achieved in 2024.
The long-awaited Zangezur Corridor in Azerbaijan, is set to become a vital transit artery—integrating the Turkic world and revitalising the Middle C...
Palaeontologists in Peru unveiled the fossilized skeleton of an ancient, dolphin-like creature estimated to be between 8 and 12 million years old....
Displaced Palestinians fled Gaza City overnight on Thursday (18 September), moving southwards after Israeli forces ordered residents of the city to ev...
Hundreds of thousands of workers, students and pharmacists walked out across France on Thursday in nationwide protests against austerity plans, piling...
European shares nudged up on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered borrowing costs for the first time since December, while shares of SIG pl...
Germany’s data protection commissioner has called on Apple and Google to block the Chinese AI app DeepSeek from their platforms over illegal data transfers and privacy concerns.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has launched a 'superintelligence' project to take artificial intelligence to a new level. According to Bloomberg, Zuckerberg is assembling an exclusive team of leading AI experts to create technology that surpasses human-level capabilities.
South Korea’s data protection authority said Thursday that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek transferred user information and prompt content abroad without user consent during its initial launch in the country.
U.S. Commerce Department bureaus have reportedly issued a blanket ban on the Chinese AI model DeepSeek for use on government-furnished equipment, according to sources and a mass email seen by Reuters.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Palaeontologists in Peru unveiled the fossilized skeleton of an ancient, dolphin-like creature estimated to be between 8 and 12 million years old.
China has entered the United Nations’ annual list of the world’s ten most innovative nations for the first time, displacing Germany, Europe’s largest economy, as companies in Beijing ramp up investment in research and development.
Microsoft and OpenAI announced Thursday a non-binding deal outlining terms that would allow OpenAI to restructure into a for-profit company, marking a key step in the high-profile partnership fueling ChatGPT’s growth.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into seven technology companies over how their AI chatbots interact with children, amid rising concerns about safety and mental health risks.
Nvidia (NVDA.O) announced on Tuesday that it plans to release a new artificial intelligence chip by the end of next year, designed to manage complex tasks like video creation and software development.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment