East vs West in a race for AI supremacy

East vs West in a race for AI supremacy

China has invested heavily but still lags the US in key AI areas, a gap that could widen if its start-ups fail to embrace emerging industry standards

China leads the pack in Asia with 383 AI startups, according to studiesby consultancy Roland Berger and investment firm Asgard Capital, both based in Germany. However, Beijing is still well behind the US, home to 1,393 startups, according to the same research.

Japan (113 startups), India (82), South Korea (42) and Singapore (35) are the other Asian pacesetters; Australia has 27 startups in Oceania. Israel (362), the UK (245) and Canada (131) are also in the top five worldwide.

Beijing, Tokyo, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Seoul, Singapore and Bangalore, which collectively account for 501 AI startups, are competing for the status of regional AI hubs, though China’s aggressive state backing means it will probably be no contest.

China’s government has invested US$2.3 billion in an AI research center in Beijing and a further US$5 billion in the nearby port city of Tianjin……more here