OpenAI said its analysts found that Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Zhipu AI had made 鈥渘otable progress鈥 in providing infrastructure solutions to governments and state-owned firms in non-Western markets, as Beijing seeks to strengthen its global leadership in the rapidly evolving technology.
In a post on Wednesday, the ChatGPT maker, which has previously urged Washington to support US companies in their competition with Chinese rivals, said Zhipu represented 鈥淐hina鈥檚 answer鈥 to OpenAI鈥檚 international initiative.
The blog cited a South China Morning Post report from last month detailing Zhipu鈥檚 plans to expand its business overseas, leveraging the Belt and Road Initiative.
Zhipu represented the nation鈥檚 鈥渉opes of building a self-reliant, globally competitive AI ecosystem that rivals America鈥檚 and lessens dependence on American tech鈥, OpenAI said.
鈥淭he goal is to lock Chinese systems and standards into emerging markets before US or European rivals can, while showcasing a 鈥榬esponsible, transparent and audit-ready鈥 Chinese AI alternative.鈥
Zhipu did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Thursday.
OpenAI鈥檚 comments highlight its firm stance on China amid escalating competition from companies like DeepSeek. While CEO Sam Altman has expressed a desire to 鈥渨ork with China鈥, the company continues to block the country from accessing ChatGPT and its other AI services.
In March, in response to the White House鈥檚 call for public input on a new policy to ensure US dominance in AI, OpenAI urged the government to relax regulations to enable American companies to compete effectively with Chinese rivals.
The company warned that if Chinese developers had unrestricted access to data while American companies faced limitations, 鈥渢he race for AI is effectively over鈥.
The Microsoft-backed start-up launched its 鈥淥penAI for Countries鈥 project in May, aimed at helping nations build AI infrastructure tailored to local needs, in cooperation with the US government.
Zhipu has developed a similar 鈥淒igital Silk Road鈥 strategy, offering AI solutions such as large-language-model infrastructure and hardware from Huawei Technologies in regions including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, in countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya, according to OpenAI.
Born out of Beijing鈥檚 prestigious Tsinghua University, Zhipu is considered one of China鈥檚 鈥渇our AI tigers鈥, alongside Baichuan, Moonshot AI, and MiniMax. It is supported by a diverse group of investors, including Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings, as well as government funds and venture capital firms.
Alibaba owns the Post.
Zhipu submitted pre-initial public offering documents to China鈥檚 securities regulator in April, paving the way for a potential public listing as early as next year.
In January, the unicorn was added to the US Commerce Department鈥檚 export-control entity list for allegedly contributing to China鈥檚 military modernisation through advanced AI research. The company has denied these allegations, stating that the designation 鈥渨ill not have a substantial impact鈥 on its operations.