China’s AI competition with the United States is increasingly about more than building the most powerful models. For countries across the Global South, affordability, practical performance, customization, and control over data are often more important than achieving artificial general intelligence. Chinese open-weight models offer flexibility, while US companies are competing more aggressively on cost.
The battle also extends beyond AI models to servers, cloud infrastructure, technical support, and the ability to build domestic AI capabilities. As Washington and Beijing develop competing technology coalitions, countries face growing pressure to choose sides while seeking to protect their digital sovereignty. Yet neither complete technological independence nor an enforceable divide between US and Chinese AI ecosystems appears straightforward.
Kyle Chan, a fellow at the Brookings Institution’s China Center and author of the High Capacity Newsletter, joins Eric to discuss China-US AI competition, the Global South’s pursuit of sovereign AI, and the geopolitical stakes of competing AI alliances and governance models.
Show Notes:
Brookings Institute Work: https://www.brookings.edu/people/kyle...
Substack: High Capacity Substack by Kyle Chan -
@HighCapacityPodcast
YouTube - / @highcapacitypodcast @HighCapacityPodcast
📌 Topics Covered in This EpisodeWhy AI Affordability Matters More Than Frontier Model Performance
How China Is Building Global South AI Infrastructure
Sovereign AI and the Limits of Digital Independence
US-China Rivalry and the Battle for Global AI Governance
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