China has emerged as the world’s largest holder of artificial intelligence (AI) patents, marking a major milestone in the country’s technological growth.
According to data released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2025, China now accounts for about 60 percent of all AI patents worldwide.
The rapid expansion reflects China’s growing focus on AI as a strategic technology that could shape the next phase of global scientific and industrial transformation.
Over the past few years, AI development in China has accelerated quickly. New innovations have appeared across several sectors, from advanced robotics to smart vehicles and digital infrastructure. Technologies such as the fast-growing AI platform DeepSeek and the widely popular Seedance have attracted global attention.
AI is now transforming both industry and everyday life in the country. Smart factories, intelligent transportation systems, and modern smart city projects are becoming more common as AI applications expand.
The Chinese government has also placed strong emphasis on building national strength in artificial intelligence. Authorities consider AI a key driver of economic growth and technological leadership in the coming decades.
As a result, the country has significantly expanded its AI industry. By the end of 2025, China had more than 6,000 AI-related companies operating across different sectors. The core AI industry was valued at over 1.2 trillion yuan, which is approximately 174.3 billion US dollars.
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China has also invested heavily in computing infrastructure. The nation’s intelligent computing power capacity has surpassed 1,590 EFLOPS, reflecting the massive scale of its AI processing capabilities.
Research activity in artificial intelligence has also increased rapidly. Chinese universities and research institutions have published a growing number of academic papers in the field. Both the quantity and quality of these studies now rank among the highest in the world.
Experts believe this strong research base has helped China strengthen its technological capabilities. Several companies have launched domestically developed AI chips designed to support advanced computing systems.
At the same time, China has accelerated the development of high-quality datasets for training AI systems. These datasets are essential for improving the performance and accuracy of modern artificial intelligence models.
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Chinese developers are also building large-scale AI models that contribute to the global open-source AI ecosystem. These models allow researchers and companies worldwide to collaborate and build new AI applications.
The rapid development of AI technologies is also creating real-world benefits. In industry, AI is helping modernize traditional manufacturing while supporting the growth of new high-tech sectors.
In society, AI tools are becoming part of daily life. People increasingly use AI services for work, education, communication, and entertainment.
Generative AI has shown particularly strong growth in China. According to the 57th Statistical Report on Internet Development in China, released by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the number of generative AI users in the country reached 602 million by December 2025.
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This figure represents an increase of 141.7 percent compared with the end of 2024. The report also shows that the penetration rate of generative AI reached 42.8 percent, rising by 25.2 percentage points in just one year.
During China’s 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), generative AI technologies have rapidly entered both industrial production and everyday life. AI is now becoming a powerful engine driving China’s digital transformation and the modernization of its economy and society.
