Open-weight AI models are emerging as the critical frontier in the US-China technology competition amid tightening export controls on advanced AI chips.

The Trump administration is considering imposing restrictions on Chinese open-weight AI models. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Reuters)

Nvidia, Meta release open models to challenge Chinese offerings

PALO ALTO, California/HONG KONG -- China’s DeepSeek is once again causing a stir in American tech and policy circles, this time with the release last week of V4 Pro, a so-called open-weight AI model that is free for anyone to download. The move has Washington and Silicon Valley debating more intensely than ever whether—and how—the U.S. should respond to the rise of such Chinese AI technology.