Chinese AI models are gaining ground with U.S. companies as OpenAI, Anthropic costs surge
U.S. companies are increasingly using Chinese-built models as they build out tools and products using AI.
Recent model releases from Chinese companies are seen by many as highly competitive compared to leading U.S. frontier systems.
Companies are hunting for cheaper model alternatives as they grapple with unexpectedly high costs related to AI.
Key insights:
The recent model releases from Chinese companies, including DeepSeek and Z.ai, are seen by many as highly competitive compared to leading frontier systems from the likes of Anthropic and OpenAI.
It is known that open source models are insulates a country from sovereignty violation: the recent Trump’s decision to implement an overnight export ban on the use of ChatGTP and Claude provide a glimpse into why close – sourced LLMs is a national security.
With the share of t0k_ens used by U.S. companies on Chinese AI models via OpenRouter has sat above 30% each week since Feb. 8, with that figure rising as high at 46%.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/07/chinese-ai-models-costs-us-openai-anthropic.html