China Races to Close US AI Gap, Even as Fears Grow Over Losing Control
The Australian Financial Review
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Details
- Date Published
- 14 Sept 2026
- Priority Score
- 3
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 14 Sept 2026, 12:00 pm
Description
As Silicon Valley debates slowing artificial intelligence development, Beijing is racing to catch up to its rival. But that hasn’t spared it the same existential worries.
Summary
This report examines the tension between China's geopolitical drive for technological parity with the US and growing domestic concerns regarding AI alignment and safety. It highlights how US export controls on frontier hardware like Nvidia GPUs are shaping Chinese development strategies while simultaneously noting that Beijing is not immune to the existential risks discussed by Silicon Valley. The article provides critical context for global AI governance by detailing how the competitive pressure of a 'tech race' may complicate international efforts to establish safety guardrails or pauses in development.
Body
WorldAsiaInside ChinaPrint articleJessica SierNorth Asia correspondentSep 14, 2026 – 8.00pmWhile Silicon Valley’s tech titans agonise over whether the development of artificial intelligence is moving too fast, China’s government is worried it may fall too far behind in its race against the US for technological superiority.US restrictions on Nvidia’s most advanced graphics processing units have left Chinese technology companies scrambling for the computing power needed to train and run increasingly sophisticated AI models, exposing one of Beijing’s biggest vulnerabilities in a contest it regards as central to its economic and strategic future.Loading...SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleRead MoreInside ChinaChinaAIUSAXi JinpingFetching latest articles