Billionaire tech entrepreneur and owner of X/Twitter, Elon Musk, has stated that China is likely to surpass other countries in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

Musk made the remarks during a podcast discussion with American entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, aired on the “Peter H. Diamandis” YouTube channel. In the conversation, Musk said China is expected to possess greater computing power than any other nation, potentially supported by a larger supply of semiconductor chips.

He explained that current global trends, combined with China’s structural advantages, place the country in a strong position in the AI race. According to Musk, China’s key strength lies in its ability to rapidly scale electricity generation.

Musk even predicted that by 2026, China could produce up to three times more electricity than the United States, a critical advantage for powering energy-intensive AI data centers.

His assessment was echoed by Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation China. Zhou said his own analysis aligns with Musk’s comments, particularly when viewed against the obstacles faced by AI projects in the United States.

Zhou noted that electricity supply constraints in many parts of the US, combined with the concentration of major tech companies and soaring energy demand from AI data centers, may have limited the expansion of certain projects. In contrast, China’s infrastructure and power supply are often cited as factors that support long-term growth in computing capacity.

Before Musk’s remarks, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had already expressed a similar view. In an interview in November 2025, Huang said China could overtake the US in the global AI competition. He argued that sarcasm and cynicism prevalent in Western countries tend to hinder innovation and emphasized the need for greater optimism.

Huang’s comments came amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing over restrictions on exports of advanced AI chips. The administration of President Donald Trump continues to prohibit Nvidia from selling its high-end chips to China, including the Blackwell series, which are typically used to train large language models.

Huang also highlighted the contrast between US policies and China’s approach. He said the Chinese government has eased regulations and increased energy subsidies for data centers operated by major companies such as ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent.

According to a Financial Times report, some local governments in China even offer discounted electricity rates to encourage the adoption of domestically produced chips from Huawei and Cambricon. Although these chips are known to be less energy-efficient than Nvidia’s products, electricity incentives help offset the disadvantage.

Huang remarked that electricity in China is almost free for industry players. By contrast, he criticized the United States for introducing multiple state-level regulations that slow innovation, noting that the existence of dozens of different AI rules creates inefficiencies.