Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Chinese military may have edge over US on AI research, report warns

Chinese military may have edge over US on AI research, report warns

Report by Georgetown University says PLA spending may be higher than America’s and adds that many of its suppliers could gain access to US technology.
The Chinese military could be spending as much or even more than the United States on artificial intelligence (AI) according to a new report.

The analysis, by the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown University in Washington, also found just 22 of the 273 companies known to supply the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with AI equipment were not subject to US Commerce Department restrictions – meaning they may be able to access US technology and pass it on to the PLA.

Given the secrecy surrounding the issue, it is difficult to calculate exactly how much each side spends on AI, but the researchers looked at more than 18,300 publicly available contracts awarded by the PLA and state-owned defence companies last year, and estimated that Chinese military spending on AI-related technologies amounted to between US$1.6 billion and $2.7 billion each year.

They also cited previous studies that calculated that the Pentagon spent between $800 million and $1.3 billion on AI last year, along with anywhere between $1.7 billion to $3.5 billion being spent on unmanned and autonomous systems.

“Specifically, we find the PLA is buying AI systems designed to identify undersea vehicles, wargame Taiwan operations, track US navy ships, and deploy electronic countermeasures, among other tasks,” said Ryan Fedasiuk, a research analyst at CSET, wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

“We find that China’s military-civil fusion development strategy is paying real dividends. Of the 273 AI equipment suppliers in our data set, 60 per cent are private companies. The overwhelming majority are quite small, established only in the last 10 years.”

The military-civil strategy aims to help the Chinese military become the most technologically advanced in the world by removing barriers between the civilian and military sectors.

The Georgetown University report comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait and reports that China had tested a hypersonic weapon over the summer, a development that Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described as “very concerning”.

“The Chinese military capabilities are much greater than that single test,” Milley told Bloomberg Television. “They’re expanding rapidly in space, in cyber and then in the traditional domains of land, sea and air.”

The Chinese foreign ministry denied the test was for a missile and said it was verifying spacecraft technology.

PLA missile scientists have previously argued in a scientific paper that hypersonic weapons could be made 10 times more accurate if control was taken out of human hands and handed to artificial intelligence.

Yue Gang, a former PLA colonel, said that the Chinese military has been able to reap the rewards from the country’s fast developing internet and big data industry, which has made it a world leader in AI.

“In the past, the Chinese military had to make up for its shortcomings in technology and equipment with the bravery and fighting spirit of soldiers. So the army has come to deeply appreciate the importance of advanced weapons and equipment,” Yue said.

He said the first Gulf war in 1991, where the US used what were then cutting edge weapons, such as unmanned vehicles and precision-guided munitions, to secure a quick victory had convinced China of the need to embrace hi-tech warfare.

“It could be described as an eye-opening event for the PLA. We realised for the first time that warfare could be precise,” said Yue.

The US is still the biggest spender on defence by far, but Yue said countries such as China and Russia have adapted their strategy to focus on fields such as hypersonic technology which the US may have neglected.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
×