China Challenges US Lead in AI Race as Token Usage Surges
Chinese AI models have seen a 400% increase in the top 50 most used models since 2025, while monthly token usage surged 113% MoM to 98 trillion in June, surpassing US models by 85%.
According to data from Apollo, China is rapidly closing the gap with the US in the global AI race. As of June, 20 of the world's 50 most-used AI models originate from China, a 400% increase from the start of 2025. In contrast, the number of US models in that group has slipped to 28 from 33.
Token usage metrics further illustrate the shift. Chinese models in the top 20 consumed 98 trillion tokens in June, up 113% month-over-month. US model token usage rose a more modest 43% to 53 trillion tokens. Consequently, Chinese model token usage is now 85% higher than US models, widening from a 24% lead in May.
The data signals that China is mounting a serious challenge to US dominance in artificial intelligence development.
Source: The Kobeissi Letter