BEIJING, July 10 (TMTPost) – The United States and China are now dominant players in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) large models, with nearly 90% of large models worldwide.

Distribution of Large Models by Country

Various types of players in China are engaged in the AI big model field. Major internet companies include Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu while AI tech-focused firms include SenseTime and iFlytek. Companies from diverse industries are also participating in the race, including educational companies like Haiziwang, financial institutions like the Agricultural Bank of China, telecom operator China Telecom and real estate firms like Kunming Sinobright. Moreover, academic and research institutions are showing significant interest and developing big models. The success of ChatGPT has led to the emergence of AI big model startups, attracting tech experts and executives of major corporations to enter this field with their expertise and funds.

Selected Domestic Companies and Products in the Large Model Field

Big models require sophisticated algorithms, strong computing power, and vast amounts of data. The development and training of AI big models require substantial investment in research and development. In 2022, Huawei allocated a significant budget of 161.5 billion yuan to R&D expenses, making it the company with the highest R&D investment funds. Tencent ranked second with 61.4 billion yuan, followed by Alibaba with 55.5 billion yuan.

R&D Funds Poured into Large Language Models by Selected Companies in 2022

Talent is also a crucial factor in the competition surrounding big models, alongside funding and technology.

According to available data, there was a notable increase of 10.16% year-on-year in job postings related to AI big models in the first quarter of this year. Among these job postings, there was significant growth for positions in machine learning and algorithm engineering, with median annual recruitment salaries surpassing 400,000 yuan.

Talent Rrecruitment in the Domestic AI Large Model Field

In terms of computing power, by data center capacity, the leading companies in this field in 2022 were Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta. These four companies accounted for over 70% of the total capacity of self-built data centers worldwide. While domestic technology giants like Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent have made progress in constructing their own data centers, there is still a capacity gap compared with U.S. counterparts.

Capacity of Data Centers in Selected Technology Companies