Noesion Radarnoesion.ai
Research2026-10-05

US AI lead over China narrowed to a record low of 3%. DeepSeek’s V4.1 Flash release in September drove the change. The gap was 9% in May and 15% earlier in 2026. Chinese models now lag US rivals by just 3% on benchmark scores. Improving performance is expected to bring further market share gains for Chinese contenders. China’s progress stems from deepening AI expertise and hardware optimisation. The gains question the effectiveness of US export restrictions on AI chips. Bloomberg Intelligence published the findings on October 5.

What changed

US AI models led Chinese models by 15% earlier in 2026.

What it unlocks

Chinese AI models gain market share as performance gap narrows.

  • 3% gap on benchmark scores
  • 9% gap in May 2026
  • 15% gap earlier in 2026

Sources

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