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Gates: US and China Each Have Four Top AI Models, China's Robots Impress

Gates Puts $1 Billion Behind AI for the Poorest

Bill Gates isn't just talking about AI's potential—he's putting serious money behind it. The Gates Foundation chairman announced a $1 billion investment over the next two years to push artificial intelligence toward helping the world's poorest regions, not just the wealthy.

Speaking with Sina Technology ahead of the release, Gates touched on everything from the global large model race to carbon emissions and—perhaps most surprisingly—China's humanoid robots.

The US-China Model Race: Closer Than You Think

When it comes to cutting-edge AI models, Gates sees a tight contest. By his count, both China and the US have at least four institutions whose models rank among the world's most advanced. And the gap between the very best and the next tier? Not that wide.

"The top eight models today outperform the best from just four months ago," he noted. The two countries are locked in what he calls a "super competition," with talent and computing power constantly catching up to each other. For low-income countries, this rivalry is actually good news—it means high-performing, affordable options are emerging.

Open Source: A Lifeline for Africa

Gates is a strong advocate for open-source AI. Why? Flexibility. Countries like those in Africa can take a powerful open model and focus their limited resources on what truly matters locally.

Here's a striking detail: some AI models in Africa are already running remotely on servers from Chinese partners—and the latency is perfectly acceptable. Gates wants technologically advanced nations to each dedicate 5% of their data center computing power to what he calls "digital aid," provided free to poor countries for healthcare, agriculture, and education.

But he's also candid about a downside. The massive memory demands of AI data centers have driven up smartphone prices in low-income countries, making quality AI apps hard to access on basic phones.

Carbon Emissions: A Trade-Off Worth Making?

Yes, Gates admits, some US data centers running on natural gas have bumped carbon emissions by about 3% to 4%. That's regrettable. But zoom out, he argues, and AI's climate benefits outweigh the costs.

Most new data centers use closed-loop water circulation. And AI is accelerating the energy revolution—his subsidiary TerraPower, for instance, uses AI models to cut the cost of building nuclear fission plants. Gates also praised China's energy transition, where solar capacity has overtaken coal for the first time.

Jobs, Robots, and That 'Unbelievable' Olympics

On the job market, Gates predicts about 20 years of turbulent transition before AI and robots are powerful enough to let humans work less or retire early. He's suggested reserving human-touch roles for people and taxing tech companies to subsidize ordinary workers.

Then there's China's humanoid robot competition, which clearly left an impression. "It was very interesting and well organized," Gates said. "Just the event itself was unbelievable." He noted China's particular focus on humanoid robots. If robots become cheap enough to replace humans in construction and manufacturing, that's a productivity win—but society must support the manual workers affected.

Looking Ahead to 2045

Gates reiterated the foundation's plan to exhaust its assets and officially close by 2045. His call to governments and the tech industry: take on a sense of mission. Make cutting-edge technology practical, affordable, and accessible—so no one is left behind.

Key Points

  • $1 billion investment: Gates Foundation commits to AI for the poorest over two years.
  • Four models each: China and the US both have at least four top-tier AI institutions.
  • Open-source flexibility: African countries can run models remotely on Chinese servers.
  • 5% digital aid: Gates urges advanced nations to donate data center computing power.
  • Carbon trade-off: AI increases emissions short-term but drives energy innovation long-term.
  • Robot Olympics: Gates calls China's humanoid robot event "unbelievable."
  • 2045 closure: Foundation plans to exhaust assets and shut down.