The next stage in the artificial intelligence (AI) competition between China and the US will depend primarily on each country's ability to cultivate, attract, and retain top-tier talent rather than on a full technological separation. Despite geopolitical tensions and tighter immigration rules, both nations remain closely interconnected through the flow of skilled professionals and collaborations in AI research and development.
Industry leaders and research institutions emphasize that Chinese professionals constitute a significant portion of the global AI talent pool and play an indispensable role in American AI advancements. At the same time, China is vigorously expanding its domestic talent base through education reforms, government incentives, and innovation ecosystems designed to keep leading researchers and entrepreneurs within its borders.
US tech firms heavily reliant on Chinese talent
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, underscored in a recent interview with the Special Competitive Studies Project that the US cannot maintain its AI edge with hardware alone but must also compete effectively for skilled human capital. More than half of the world's AI developers originate from China, Huang pointed out, and the US should actively attract these developers to adopt American AI tools as global standards.
The New York Times highlighted two studies demonstrating the critical contributions of Chinese-born engineers working or educated in the US. The Paulson Institute's 2020 global AI talent mobility report found that nearly one-third of the world's elite AI researchers come from China. A follow-up study by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace tracked 100 leading Chinese AI scientists identified by the Paulson Institute, finding that 87 have remained in the US since 2019 despite stricter immigration rules and geopolitical challenges. Matt Sheehan, an author of both reports, noted that the US AI industry is the largest beneficiary of Chinese talent.
The significant presence of Chinese researchers in American AI labs is also evident in the private sector. Meta's Meta Superintelligence Labs, which launched in June 2025, has research staff comprising over 50% Chinese nationals or first-generation immigrants, according to Menlo Ventures partner Deedy Das. This underscores the US dependence on Chinese talent for cutting-edge AI research.
China pursues self-reliant talent development
While the US relies heavily on immigration to nurture its AI workforce, China is pursuing a strategy of self-generation and retention of talent through robust education and research infrastructure. Bloomberg, citing the Center for Strategic and International Studies, reported that China graduated roughly 3.57 million STEM students in 2020, more than four times the number in the US. This figure reportedly grew to over 5 million in 2024, according to China's People's Daily.
Tsinghua University in Beijing is a leading engine in China's AI ecosystem, consistently ranking among the top global institutions in engineering, AI, and computer science. LexisNexis data reveals that from 2005 to 2024, Tsinghua obtained 4,986 patents in AI and machine learning, exceeding the combined totals of prestigious US universities, including MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton. The Chinese government offers tax incentives, subsidies, and policy support to foster innovation centered around universities like Tsinghua, which hosts X-lab, an incubator for over 900 startups, mainly in AI sectors such as Z.ai and Unitree Robotics.
This systemic investment in academia, industry, and entrepreneurship is accelerating the return of Chinese AI talent to the domestic market. Research from think tank Macro Polo indicates that in 2022, 25% of the world's top AI scientists received degrees in China, and the share who chose to work domestically rose markedly from 11% to 28%. The success of DeepSeek and other local large language model companies has bolstered domestic confidence in China's AI leadership ambitions.
Cooperation amid competition defines relations
Despite escalating political rhetoric and barriers, scientific collaboration between China and the US remains robust. Data from the academic platform alphaXiv show that since 2018, joint Sino-US publications on AI have outnumbered collaborative papers between any other country pairs. Technology giants, including Microsoft, Google, Intel, and Salesforce, continue cooperative research efforts with Chinese institutions, with Microsoft producing the largest volume.
This dynamic underscores a complex relationship: both nations are fiercely competitive in the AI race but remain mutually dependent on the exchange of knowledge and talent. The contest for AI supremacy will largely center on how each country manages its human capital pipeline as the technological rivalry evolves.
Article translated by Jingyue Hsiao and edited by Jerry Chen
