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China's budget AI models heat up global race

Interest in Chinese AI companies is returning after fading following the DeepSeek shock in January 2025, as more firms balk at the cost of deploying the latest U.S. models. Chinese models are presenting benchmark results that in some cases outpace OpenAI and Anthropic, while pricing well below Western rivals. Research rankings, growing use in the United States and rising valuations are drawing attention, though concerns remain over reliability, capacity and efficiency.