Meaghan Tobin

China already manufactures humanoid robots by the thousands. A new generation of U.S. start-ups is betting that there is still time to compete.

Chinese A.I. models are gaining ground. But the companies behind them do not have a clear strategy to make money from that success.

Moonshot said some users would have to get licenses to use its Kimi K3 model as the company threads a needle between sharing and profiting from its technology’s popularity.

China’s Moonshot AI unveiled a freely available artificial intelligence model that seemed to narrow the gap with cutting-edge offerings from U.S. tech companies.

Silicon Valley engineers recently flocked to new technology from a Chinese company, Z.ai, that is almost as good as its American competitors but much cheaper.

A.I. demand is driving stock market gains and booming exports in South Korea and Taiwan. But the rest of the economy is being left behind.

Building on the country’s electric vehicle industry, Chinese companies are making robot parts at a scale and price point others can’t match.

The U.S. tech giant’s powerful H200 chip seemed poised to boost Beijing’s A.I. ambitions, but not a single one has been purchased in China.

The standoff comes as Chinese firms increasingly turn to domestic chipmakers like Huawei, in a drive to reduce China’s dependence on Western technologies.

Mr. Musk is part of a delegation of business leaders to China, where his interests include Tesla’s electric vehicle factory and solar panels.