China tops global AI development with 1,509 large models

China has accelerated breakthroughs in artificial intelligence development, having released 1,509 large models to date, ranking first among the 3,755 large models released globally, according to a Xinhua report citing the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 on Sunday.

The number of global AI enterprises has exceeded 35,000, with over 5,100 based in China. In addition, the total number of unicorn enterprises globally has exceeded 271, with 71 located in China, representing 26 percent of the global total, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications.

China currently hosts over 300 listed AI enterprises, generating approximately 70 percent of the domestic artificial intelligence industry's total revenue. The innovation domains of AI unicorns span a wide spectrum, with the current top five sectors being: large models, autonomous driving, intelligent robotics, commercial AI applications, and intelligent computing chips.

Yu Xiaohui, president of the China Academy of Information and Communications, indicated that China's AI industry is continuously expanding with new technologies, new applications and new models, contributing to the high-quality economic development as a pivotal growth engine.

Moreover, authorities have launched research on methodologies for measuring the AI industry's market size, preliminarily established a corresponding indicator framework, and initiated standardization efforts with relevant standards formally authorized for projects.