US, China AI Race: Four Models Lead as China's Humanoid Robot Push Gains Momentum

Bill Gates, chairman of the Gates Foundation, recently announced a $1 billion investment over the next two years to advance artificial intelligence. This initiative aims to democratize cutting-edge technology, ensuring it serves not just the wealthy but also helps the poorest regions transform their circumstances. Additionally, Gates shared his perspectives on global large model landscapes, computing power carbon emissions, and the rise of Chinese humanoid robots.

On global large model competition, Gates noted that both China and the United States currently boast four or more institutions with models ranked among the world’s most advanced. The performance gap between top-tier models and the next seven leading ones is narrowing. He observed that the capabilities of the world’s top eight large models have surpassed their levels from just four months ago, creating a “super competition” where talent and computing power are rapidly converging. This dynamic offers low-income countries access to high-performing yet affordable AI solutions.

Gates highlighted the value of open-source technology, emphasizing its flexibility. This allows low-income countries, particularly in Africa, to allocate limited resources toward true localization. Currently, African models can operate remotely via servers provided by Chinese partners, with latency levels that are entirely manageable. He urged technologically advanced nations to dedicate 5% of their data center computing power to “digital aid,” providing free access to poor countries for applications in healthcare, agriculture, and education. However, he acknowledged that the high memory demands of AI data centers have inadvertently driven up smartphone prices in low-income regions, making it difficult to deploy high-quality AI applications on feature phones.

Addressing carbon emission concerns, Gates admitted that some U.S. data centers powered by natural gas have increased emissions by approximately 3% to 4%, a regrettable outcome. Nevertheless, he argued that AI’s long-term benefits to the global climate outweigh these drawbacks. Most new data centers now utilize closed-loop water circulation systems, and AI is accelerating the energy revolution. For instance, his subsidiary TerraPower is leveraging AI models to reduce nuclear fission construction costs. Gates also praised China’s energy transition achievements, noting that its installed photovoltaic power generation capacity has surpassed coal power for the first time.

Regarding AI’s impact on the job market, Gates predicted approximately 20 years of turbulent transformation before AI and robots become advanced enough to enable reduced working hours or early retirement. He previously suggested that roles requiring human empathy should remain with humans and proposed a “Token tax” on tech companies to subsidize ordinary citizens. During the discussion, Gates expressed interest in China’s recent “humanoid robot Olympics,” describing it as “very interesting and well organized,” adding that “the event itself was unbelievable.” He noted China’s strong focus on humanoid robots, stating that if robots become affordable enough to replace humans in construction and manufacturing, it would boost productivity. However, society must also adequately support and assist manual workers affected by this shift.

Concluding his remarks, Gates reiterated the foundation’s plan to exhaust all assets and officially close by 2045. He called on governments and the global tech industry to embrace a sense of mission, ensuring that cutting-edge technology becomes practical, affordable, and accessible. His goal is to ensure that no one is left behind in this technological transformation.