I disagree with this take on a couple of fronts.<p>Yes, China does not have domestic silicon manufacturing as advanced as competing nations, but SMIC is producing 7nm chips - far more advanced than the double-digit process referenced in the article. There are of course benefits to smaller process nodes, but nothing prevents SIMD processors at larger nodes from running the same accelerated code as smaller nodes. If the Chinese government were so inclined it could manufacture what it needs and eat the higher energy costs. They already build supercomputers for state projects, this is just a different kind of computer. Model alignment is of course an open problem, but it isn't insurmountable. Although AI could undermine the regime by containing knowledge refuting the state's propaganda, that isn't stopping domestic businesses from creating heavily censored conversational AIs today. The Great Firewall isn't impervious, consumer model restrictions won't be either - but they don't need to be. They just have to work well enough to prevent the formation of a critical mass of dissent. The Chinese government is certainly aware of the potential of AGI and is certainly working on projects in private to pursue their goals. A "race" might not be the best term for the ongoing situation, but don't dismiss them as incapable of posing a threat.