>700m
2026-H1 · CNNIC · people, not enterprises
COUNTRY · CN
China
Generative AI use, industrial deployment and model development.
CN
196 catalogue entries
Broader Epoch catalogue, including variants; not a complete model census.
2.58% of GDP
All R&D, not AI-only investment.
What this model count includes
196Entries in the broader Epoch catalogue
35Entries with a notability criterion
Same source, year and developer-country attribution. The broader catalogue includes versions and sizes. Neither number is the total number of models developed here.
Models behind the count
Epoch · source snapshotLoading source records…
MODEL DEVELOPMENT
China in the model-building landscape
Annual notable-model entries · developer country · 2020–2025
International collaborations may appear in multiple countries. Counts are not additive market shares or a national AI-strength ranking.
Loading chartEpoch AI · CC BY 4.0 · Complete years through 2025 · incomplete 2026 excluded
From everyday use to industrial deployment
What Chinese AI users do with it
% · Chinese generative AI usersLoading chartPeople using GenAI, not businesses · applications overlap
Generative AI users
Source and definitionManufacturers using AI
Turnover ≥ CNY 20m; not all businessesCore AI industry scale
Source and definitionAI companies
Source and definitionCNNIC reported 515 million users (2025-06) and >700 million (2026-H1); the latter is a lower bound. NBS reports 773K industrial robots produced in 2025. Production is distinct from IFR installations.
National surveys use different populations and methods. No harmonized Eurostat series is included for this country.
From policy to implementation
AI Plus initiative
>70%2027 target · intelligent terminals & agentsA policy target for smart terminals and AI agents, with integration across six priority sectors.
The foundations around AI
These indicators describe all research and development, not AI-only expenditure or AI’s measured economic impact.
R&D expenditure
2.58% of GDP · all R&D · 2023 · China
Loading chartComparison uses 2023, the latest common year for this selection. The latest national observation above may be newer.
World Bank WDI / UNESCO Institute for Statistics · % of GDP · all R&DR&D researchers
2,107.27per million people · all R&D · 2023 · China
Loading chartComparison uses 2022, the latest common year for this selection. The latest national observation above may be newer.
World Bank WDI / UNESCO Institute for Statistics · per million people · all R&DEpoch AI · CC BY 4.0 · Model comparisons stop at 2025; incomplete 2026 is excluded. No forward-filled research observations.
Models connected to China
Epoch’s notable-model selection · developer country · international projects can appear in multiple countries
Step 5 PreviewStepFunDeepSeek V4.1 FlashDeepSeekTencent Hy4 previewTencentGLM-5.3-FlashZ.ai (Zhipu AI)GLM-5.3Z.ai (Zhipu AI)Qwen3.8-2.4T-A95BAlibabaQwen 3.8 MaxAlibabaKimi K3Moonshot
