China is closing in on US technology lead despite constraints, AI researchers say

China can narrow its technological gap with the US driven by growing risk-taking ‍and innovation, though the lack of ​advanced chipmaking tools is hobbling the sector, the country’s leading artificial intelligence ⁠researchers said on Saturday.

China’s so-called ‘AI tiger’ startups MiniMax and Zhipu AI had strong debuts on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange this week, reflecting growing confidence in the sector as Beijing fast-tracks AI and chip listings to bolster domestic alternatives to ‌advanced US technology.