Tech Brew Ride Home · Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Chinese-developed AI models are increasingly being adopted by US companies primarily due to their significantly lower token prices compared to leading US AI labs. These models are also closing the performance gap, with companies like DeepSeek and ZAI offering competitive alternatives to systems from OpenAI and Anthropic. This trend is further exacerbated by the rising costs associated with using advanced AI technology in the US.
“Chinese built AI models are getting traction among US companies as they narrowed the performance gap with leading American rivals while remaining significantly cheaper to use.”
“Recent model releases from Chinese companies including DeepSeek and ZAI are seen by many as highly competitive compared to leading frontier systems from the likes of Anthropic and OpenAI.”
“The average across the previous 12 months was just 11%, falling to 4.5% in the first half of 2025. Chinese AI models are particularly attractive to American companies now as AI costs skyrocket.”