Chinese Open AI Models Lower Costs But Spark Future Dependency Concerns

Indian startups are increasingly switching to Chinese large language models like Qwen, DeepSeek, and Kimi to significantly reduce artificial intelligence development costs.

China's open-weight strategy relies on low training expenses, geopolitical prestige, market commoditization, state-backed capital, and domestic digital infrastructure growth.

Analysts project that China may begin restricting access to its frontier open-weight models around late 2028 once market consolidation and foreign user lock-in are achieved.