Playing both sides of the U.S.-China AI “Cold War”

September 21, 2026

Globe showing the Indian Ocean and surrounding countries

(Rest of World) – From Latin America to Southeast Asia, countries are dividing their AI investments between the two superpowers rather than choosing one over the other.

From Latin America to Southeast and Central Asia, countries are buying American chips while adopting Chinese open-source models, splitting key AI projects between companies from two AI superpowers. The trend presents a growing complication for Washington’s competition with Beijing. Even countries investing heavily in American AI infrastructure are not necessarily choosing American technology for every layer of the AI stack. (Read More)