The US is building the iOS of AI. China is rebuilding the world's factory around it. And the dividing line between the two camps is getting blurrier — even as the stakes get sharper.
None of it is theoretical. In this full slide deck, we break down the complete US–China AI supply chain — from power grids to humanoid robots — and show exactly where each side leads, where they're catching up, and where the dividing lines blur.
Biden's subsidies and Trump's tariffs both point the same direction: anchor AI investment inside US borders. China's response? Double down on what it does best — manufacturing scale, integrated supply chains, and turning sanctions pressure into self-sufficiency momentum. Two strategies, one prize: who controls the AI productivity race.
3 Questions This Deck Answers
1. Where Does Each Side Actually Dominate?
We map the complete five-layer AI stack: power infrastructure, semiconductors, non-semi components, foundation models, and applications. The US owns chips and frontier models. China owns the grid, the cost curve, and Physical AI manufacturing. We show exactly where the competitive advantages sit — and where the gaps are still unbridgeable.
2. Is China Really Closing the AI Model Gap?
The data tells the story. The US maintains an absolute lead in frontier model quantity and quality — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google leading iteration speed and enterprise adoption. But China's open-source strategy with DeepSeek, Alibaba's Qwen, and ByteDance's Doubao is gaining ground on efficiency and training optimization. We track the real performance metrics, not the marketing claims.
3. Who Wins Physical AI — The Gateway to Real World?
This is where China has a genuine edge. L2+ autonomous driving penetration hit 70%+, local chip companies like Huawei and Horizon Robotics are taking share from NVIDIA, and Chinese companies dominate 2025 humanoid robot shipments. Meanwhile, the US leads in Physical AI software convergence and enterprise infrastructure. We show which approach scales faster.
From Tech Competition to Ecosystem Showdown
The days of single-point competition are over. This isn't about one breakthrough chip or model anymore — it's about integrated ecosystems. We map every major player across both sides: from CATL and Tesla in power generation, to TSMC and SMIC in fabs, to Anthropic and DeepSeek in models. The supply chain roster shows where allegiances are forming — and where they're already breaking down.
This analysis is part of MacroMicro's exclusive research, designed to help subscribers see the structural shifts before they hit the headlines.
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