- State-owned defense conglomerate Norinco launched the P60 autonomous combat vehicle, reaching speeds of 50 km/h, operated by the DeepSeek AI model – a symbol of China’s technology sector, marking a step forward in the AI arms race with the US.
- A Reuters analysis of hundreds of patents, procurement documents, and research shows that Beijing is systematizing the militarization of AI – from autonomous target recognition to real-time combat decision-making, modeled after US AI strategy.
- The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continues to seek access to Nvidia chips (A100, H100) despite the US export ban since September 2022. Many 2025 patents still report the use of these chips, but the PLA is also increasing its shift to Huawei Ascend chips to achieve “algorithmic sovereignty.”
- According to analysis from the Jamestown Foundation, the PLA is pushing for tenders for domestic AI equipment and cooperating with contractors who claim to only use Huawei chips. This reflects the “replacing American technology with Chinese technology” strategy launched by Beijing.
- An AI system from Xi’an Technological University using DeepSeek can simulate 10,000 battlefield scenarios in 48 seconds, 3,600 times faster than a human (48 hours).
- Beihang University is using DeepSeek to improve the “drone swarm” algorithm – automatic UAV formations for attacking and tracking small, low-flying, slow targets.
- The PLA is also researching fighting dog robots that operate in swarms, perform bomb disposal, and reconnaissance, while the company Landship Information Technology is developing an AI system for processing satellite images to coordinate radar, aircraft, and autonomous weapons.
- Although China states it “maintains human control over weapons,” documents show efforts to increase autonomy on the battlefield.
- The US is also responding with plans to deploy thousands of autonomous drones before the end of 2025, to counter Beijing’s UAV advantage.
📌 China’s state-owned defense conglomerate Norinco launched the P60 autonomous combat vehicle, reaching speeds of 50 km/h, operated by the DeepSeek AI model. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continues to seek access to Nvidia chips (A100, H100) despite the US export ban since September 2022. Many 2025 patents still report the use of these chips, but the PLA is also increasing its shift to Huawei Ascend chips to achieve “algorithmic sovereignty,” alongside researching fighting dog robots that operate in swarms, perform bomb disposal, and reconnaissance. DeepSeek can simulate 10,000 battlefield scenarios in 48 seconds, 3,600 times faster than a human (48 hours).
