‼️Chinese AI models have officially overtaken the US globally: China's share of AI token usage by US firms on OpenRouter jumped to ~58%, surpassing the US for the first time since this data began. This share has more TRIPLED over the last few months. Among US firms specifically, Chinese models now account for ~38% to 40% of tokens used, with DeepSeek remaining the single most popular choice, well ahead of Z Ai model, Qwen, MiniMax, and Kimi. Meanwhile, Chinese startup Moonshot released its new Kimi K3 model last week, a release investors say rivals top US systems and one that triggered a fresh selloff in AI and semiconductor stocks, echoing last year's "DeepSeek moment." Furthermore, Chinese officials are reportedly weighing restrictions on foreign access to their most capable models, facing the same security dilemma already playing out in Washington. The AI race is no longer just about who builds the most powerful models, but who can make them cheaper, faster, and more widely adopted.