Moonshot AI takes on US giants
Moonshot AI unveiled its Kimi K3 model at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, positioning it as a direct competitor to frontier models from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. The company claims the model achieves comparable performance on major benchmarks while being more cost-efficient to run. The launch comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined a global vision for AI governance in a landmark speech at the same conference, seeking to position China as a leader in AI standard-setting.
Nvidia chip access and US export controls
Reports indicate China is set to allow domestic AI firms to purchase Nvidia's H200 chips, a move that could boost Chinese AI computing capacity. However, the Trump administration office responsible for AI export controls remains partially paralyzed, according to insiders, creating uncertainty about enforcement of existing restrictions.
AI infrastructure investments surge
The AI hardware race is intensifying globally. AI chip startup Etched, founded by Harvard dropouts, is in talks for a $20 billion valuation and raising capital at a $10 billion valuation in a round led by Sequoia Capital. SpaceX is in discussions with the Pentagon to provide computing power for military AI applications, while Google rebranded NotebookLM as Gemini Notebook with upgraded features for AI Pro subscribers. Apple Intelligence has been cleared to launch in China, though its EU rollout remains blocked by regulatory concerns.