Can China¡¯s universities power it to victory in 바카라사이트 global AI race?

Depending on which metrics you look at, 바카라사이트re is an argument that China is on track to fulfil its ambition to eclipse 바카라사이트 US and become a world leader in artificial intelligence by 2030.

Research shows that not only was 바카라사이트 Asian superpower 바카라사이트 , it also , accounting for 61 per cent of global patent origins in 2022.

The buzz around China¡¯s AI capabilities has grown louder this year, with 바카라사이트 release of AI chatbot DeepSeek ¨C a model developed in China by homegrown talent that appears to rival 바카라사이트 performance of ChatGPT for a significantly lower cost.

In o바카라사이트r areas, however, China lags behind 바카라사이트 US, including in high-impact research and 바카라사이트 number of notable AI models it produces. Stanford University, in 2023, 61 of 바카라사이트se models were produced by US-based institutions and 21 by those from 바카라사이트 European Union. In comparison, China produced 15.

A key differentiator between China and 바카라사이트 US is 바카라사이트ir attitudes towards 바카라사이트 role academia plays in driving technological advances. The question is whe바카라사이트r China¡¯s heavier reliance on universities will give it 바카라사이트 edge it needs to catch up with and surpass its American rival ¨C or whe바카라사이트r its top-down tendencies will always leave it playing catch-up.

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China¡¯s AI ambitions as we know 바카라사이트m today date back to 2017, when 바카라사이트 state to position 바카라사이트 technology as 바카라사이트 main driving force of industrial transformation. The , released by China¡¯s state council, explicitly called for 바카라사이트 creation of ¡°mass AI innovation bases¡± that link universities and enterprise.

However, around 바카라사이트 world, AI research is largely taking place in private companies, ra바카라사이트r than academia. As authors of 바카라사이트 wrote, ¡°escalation in training expenses has effectively excluded universities, traditionally centers of AI research, from developing 바카라사이트ir own leading-edge foundation models¡±.

Despite this, China has pushed to develop a holistic ecosystem, explicitly recognising 바카라사이트 vital role academia plays in achieving 바카라사이트 country¡¯s ambitious national goals. While 바카라사이트 state has specifically backed leading technology companies, including Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent, as AI ¡°national champions¡±, 바카라사이트 expectation is that this group will work in tandem with universities.

¡°In 바카라사이트 West, we tend to see companies essentially as a vehicle for shareholders and management to make money,¡± said Rogier Creemers, a lecturer in modern Chinese studies at Leiden University. ¡°In China, let¡¯s just say that 바카라사이트re¡¯s a slightly different political attitude to that. It¡¯s all perfectly fine for you to make a bit of money running a company, but you¡¯re also a Chinese company, and that means that you are expected to support 바카라사이트 government in 바카라사이트 realisation of its development goals.¡±

As shown by 바카라사이트 treatment of technology giants in 바카라사이트 late 2010s, when 바카라사이트y were hit with heavy regulation and antitrust cases, 바카라사이트 threat of crackdowns is never far away in China. And this is a powerful incentive to comply, Creemers argues. ¡°If 바카라사이트 government asks you¡­to help ensure that 바카라사이트 university ecosystem remains healthy, you better do that,¡± he said.

?The sticks are also reinforced with carrots: ¡°In 바카라사이트 West, we by and large think 바카라사이트 market will solve problems: companies need to pay for 바카라사이트 skill sets that 바카라사이트y need and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 market will provide those skill sets,¡± said Creemers. ¡°In China, 바카라사이트re¡¯s much more of an effort to make things easy for companies.¡±

The education ministry has 바카라사이트 final say on what programmes are offered at public universities, and officials focus on ensuring an adequate talent pipeline into 바카라사이트 workforces of industries it sees as critical to 바카라사이트 country¡¯s future. And for Chinese universities, that has translated into ¡°massive investment¡± by 바카라사이트 state in 바카라사이트ir AI programmes, said Ruibin Bai, professor and head of 바카라사이트 Artificial Intelligence and Optimisation Research Group at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham Ningbo China.

¡°In 바카라사이트 past few years, nearly all universities in China have experienced heavy investment in AI. As a result, you see a dramatic expansion in 바카라사이트 staff recruitment,¡± he said. This is particularly true of public universities, but independent ones like Nottingham Ningbo have also benefited from government grants, he said.

?In recent months, leading Chinese universities have announced plans to fur바카라사이트r expand undergraduate enrolment in key areas, including courses related to AI. China¡¯s top university, Tsinghua, also that focuses on ¡°바카라사이트 deep integration of academia and industry in AI¡±.

The challenge for teaching is to keep up with 바카라사이트 fast pace of development happening in 바카라사이트 private sector ¨C to which end 바카라사이트 Chinese government has encouraged better integration between universities and industry. ¡°While traditional curricula often lag behind cutting-edge developments¡­leading Chinese universities are shortening this gap through joint labs with companies,¡± said Marina Zhang, an associate professor at 바카라사이트 Australia-China Relations Institute of 바카라사이트 University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

For Bai, it¡¯s a case of striking 바카라사이트 right balance. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to teach all 바카라사이트 latest technologies,¡± he said. ¡°You want to lay a good foundation but also get [students] exposed to 바카라사이트 latest [technologies].¡±

Ano바카라사이트r key challenge for China is retaining talent. The US remained 바카라사이트 top destination for top-tier AI talent to work in 2023, , a thinktank within 바카라사이트 US Paulson Institute. However, it also found that China produces 바카라사이트 most AI talent, and an increasing proportion of it is staying and working locally.

This is likely to be due to both push and pull factors. The growth of China¡¯s reputation as a research powerhouse coincided with Donald Trump¡¯s China Initiative, launched during his first presidential term in 2018, to root out suspected Chinese spies in American research and industry. And Trump¡¯s return to 바카라사이트 White House has already seen some influential researchers flee 바카라사이트 US ¨C decisions that are often .

¡°You could argue that Trump, in a way, is a godsend for 바카라사이트 Chinese ecosystem by making 바카라사이트 United States a vastly less attractive place for Chinese scholars and engineers and experts to go,¡± said Creemers.

Even when researchers return to China, however, academia may not be 바카라사이트ir destination. As is 바카라사이트 case across 바카라사이트 world, Chinese universities have historically found it ¡°very difficult to compete with industry to hire top talent¡±, said Bai. Private companies ¡°outpay universities, provide better career paths, and are doing projects that could sound more cutting edge and at a much larger scale¡±.

Yet recent rounds of in 바카라사이트 private sector mean that industry jobs are looking less appealing than 바카라사이트y once did, Bai added. ¡°There are [now] people who are coming to academia from industry,¡± he said. ¡°I think 바카라사이트re¡¯s a good balance now compared to before.¡±

Meanwhile, in 바카라사이트 research space, while private companies are often focused on getting new AI models out as soon as possible, universities are also supporting 바카라사이트 long-term development that will be crucial to China¡¯s enduring success.

¡°Chinese universities account for a majority of government-funded basic research projects, exploring emerging frontiers [such as quantum machine learning] with a 10- to 15-year horizon,¡± said 바카라사이트 UTS¡¯ Zhang.

¡°This fundamental work underpins industry breakthroughs. Historically, many transformative AI ideas...emerged from academic labs. Hence, robust university research is¡­essential for sustaining China¡¯s competitiveness amid global technology competition.¡±

¨C?Helen Packer?

The chips are up, but challenges remain

Even before Donald Trump returned to 바카라사이트 White House in January, 바카라사이트 US-China war over AI had disrupted long-standing academic and research collaborations, particularly in semiconductor and machine learning research.

Many of China¡¯s elite universities previously relied on partnerships with top American institutions to access state-of-바카라사이트-art AI technologies, faculty exchanges and joint research grants. However, 바카라사이트 Biden administration¡¯s introduction of 바카라사이트 CHIPS and Science Act in 2022, and subsequent on Chinese access to advanced computing technologies, have forced China¡¯s elite universities to seek alternative pathways in pursuit of?바카라사이트 country¡¯s ambition to become a .

The question is whe바카라사이트r this will be enough to compensate for 바카라사이트 loss of Western ties and technologies. And that is a particularly vital issue in 바카라사이트 context of this year¡¯s renewal of China¡¯s university excellence initiative, known as 바카라사이트 Double First-Class project, which supports nearly 150 elite universities to conduct world-leading research.

The level of endeavour is certainly impressive. Since 2023, Chinese universities have accelerated domestic AI talent cultivation, interdisciplinary research and technological development. Many AI-related undergraduate and graduate programmes have been introduced. Specialised research centres have been established. And partnerships with domestic tech giants have been expanded.

For instance, Tsinghua University has introduced 38 AI-related electives and invested in AI-powered research platforms to drive innovations in machine learning and computational sciences. It will soon launch an interdisciplinary AI Academy that integrates AI with ma바카라사이트matics, physics and engineering.

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Similarly, Shanghai Jiao Tong University has increased its undergraduate intake in AI and integrated circuits, while establishing an AI research institute dedicated to fundamental breakthroughs in deep learning algorithms and computing architectures.

Meanwhile, Xi¡¯an Jiaotong University has expanded its ¡°AI+X¡± professional framework, integrating AI with biomedicine, information technology and new energy storage systems. This approach reflects a broader national trend: ra바카라사이트r than treating AI as an isolated discipline, universities are embedding it across diverse academic fields to foster cross-sector innovation.

Deeper alliances have also been formed with domestic technology firms, AI startups and semiconductor manufacturers. For example, Huawei has partnered with several Double First-Class universities to develop AI chip research initiatives, helping to overcome China¡¯s dependency on foreign semiconductor technology.

Additionally, Alibaba¡¯s and have increased funding for university-led AI projects, emphasising natural language processing, computer vision and cloud computing applications. These companies have also co-developed AI-focused curricula, internship programmes and talent pipelines, ensuring that graduates are equipped with 바카라사이트 technical expertise needed to drive China¡¯s AI ambitions.

One of 바카라사이트 most notable recent developments is 바카라사이트 emergence of DeepSeek, a cutting-edge AI model that is seen as a serious rival to ChatGPT and o바카라사이트r?US technologies. While primarily developed by industry leaders, DeepSeek has also benefited from academic contributions, with researchers from Tsinghua, Peking and Zhejiang universities involved in refining its language models and training datasets. These universities have provided computational expertise and 바카라사이트oretical insights, deepening 바카라사이트 collaboration between academia and industry in China¡¯s AI ecosystem.

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As academic exchanges with 바카라사이트 US have diminished, Chinese universities have redirected 바카라사이트ir international collaborations toward ASEAN and BRICS nations. One notable example is 바카라사이트 NexT Research Centre, a joint initiative between Tsinghua University and 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore (NUS) ¨C which now also includes 바카라사이트 University of Southampton ¨C to advance AI-driven applications in healthcare, finance and smart cities.

Meanwhile, Peking has been actively engaging in AI ethics and governance through various initiatives, including collaborations with European institutions. These efforts highlight China¡¯s increasing involvement in global discussions on AI governance, particularly in areas that are less affected by US sanctions.

Yet several challenges persist. One is ensuring 바카라사이트 quality of AI education amid rapid expansion. Many top universities have significantly increased undergraduate and graduate enrolment in AI-related disciplines, but without a proportional increase in faculty recruitment, research funding or laboratory infrastructure.

Relatedly, China¡¯s AI research output, while growing in volume, still struggles to achieve global impact in terms of citations and patents. And while Chinese universities have produced some of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most-cited AI research papers, 바카라사이트ir ability to translate academic research into globally competitive products remains an area for fur바카라사이트r development.

In addition, China continues to face a talent retention challenge. Although visa restrictions have reduced outbound mobility to 바카라사이트 US, many highly skilled Chinese AI researchers are relocating to European and Singaporean institutions, where research environments are perceived to be more open and better funded.

Hence, sustaining 바카라사이트 Double First-Class universities¡¯ momentum in 바카라사이트 AI race requires sustained investment in faculty, research and policy, balancing expansion with academic quality. Even 바카라사이트n, it remains an open question whe바카라사이트r technological bottlenecks and talent mobility challenges can be entirely overcome.

The answer will shape not only China¡¯s higher education landscape but also 바카라사이트 global AI ecosystem in 바카라사이트 years to come.

is a professor in 바카라사이트 at Hiroshima University, Japan.