Can China follow its own ‘technological path’ amid growing AI rivalry with US?

China's capacity to forge its own technological trajectory, particularly under sustained US export restrictions, may prove decisive in its escalating artificial intelligence rivalry with the United States, according to prominent analyst Zheng Yongnian.

Zheng, dean of the school of public policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), articulated this view in his preface to 'The Rise of Atlas.' This new book chronicles the development of Huawei Technologies' Atlas 950 SuperPoD computing system. Huawei presented this system at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai last month, describing it as the industry's largest AI supernode, a high-performance supercluster capable of linking over 1,000 processors.

According to Zheng, the significance of projects like the Atlas 950 lies in demonstrating China's adaptive strategies in response to external pressures. He characterizes these efforts as part of a broader national initiative to cultivate the institutional and industrial capabilities necessary for setting standards, shaping technological ecosystems, and coordinating advancements across hardware, software, and applications.

"True technological autonomy is not simply about 'having chips', but about 'having the ability to define the technological path'," Zheng wrote in the preface, which was recently published online. This statement underscores China's strategic focus on self-determination and innovation in the face of international technological competition.

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True technological autonomy is not simply about ‘having chips’, but about ‘having the ability to define the technological path’.