Chinese large artificial intelligence (AI) models have continued to gain global traction, with their weekly token usage surpassing that of the United States for a second consecutive week, according to the latest data from OpenRouter.
The figures highlight the rapid expansion of China's AI applications across industries, as enterprises accelerate their shift toward AI-driven transformation.
Data released by the world's largest AI model API aggregation platform OpenRouter shows that as of March 15, Chinese large AI models have recorded a weekly token usage of 4.69 trillion, exceeding that of the U.S. for two consecutive weeks.
The world's top three spots in terms of total token calls were all occupied by Chinese models.
In the field of AI, a token is a fundamental unit representing the smallest piece of information processed by a model. Token usage has thus become a key indicator for measuring both the activity level and industrial value of AI models.
Higher token usage indicates more frequent application of models and, consequently, greater real-world value generated.
"Individual users are using us a lot to automate their work, increase productivity, and think about AI office, powerpoint, excel, deep research and enterprises. They are upgrading from what used to be digital transformation into AI transformation, and we can really see 2026 to be the year where enterprises are moving forward also with AI," said Giacomo Ficari, head of international business of Kimi, chatbot developed by Beijing-based startup Moonshot AI.
AI-driven transformation is now unfolding across industries. While early applications of AI focused mainly on text-based interactions and content generation, its use has expanded to information retrieval, document processing, and coordinated operations among intelligent agent systems, deeply integrating into every aspect of enterprise workflows.
The massive scale of token calls reflects a growing number of high-frequency, scalable and sustainably monetized commercial applications, spanning sectors such as finance, cross-border e-commerce, gaming and short-video platforms.
JPMorgan Chase predicts that the consumption of AI inference tokens in China is expected to grow from approximately 10 quadrillion in 2025 to approximately 3,900 quadrillion in 2030, representing a roughly 370-fold increase over five years.
Chinese AI models lead global usage for 2nd straight week: data
Global business leaders gathering in Beijing for the China Development Forum 2026 said that they remain optimistic about China's role as a key driver of growth and are committed to deepening their presence in the Chinese market.
Themed "China in its 15th Five-Year Plan period: advancing high-quality development and creating new opportunities together", the two-day forum, which kicked off on Sunday, highlighted China as a key engine of global development as the country begins its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, a French energy giant, acknowledged the growing barriers in global energy cooperation, but stressed that both China and Europe share a common path toward green energy.
"We have observed more barriers, in fact, we see a lot of, I would say, non-cooperative attitude, I am still convinced, in particular, in the field of energy. But in fact, both China and Europe have exactly the same strategy, which is going to more green energy, which is a way to combine security with supply and China is leading the way," he said.
Philippe Delorme, president and CEO of KONE Corporation, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, said that Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's visit to China from January 25 to 28 has reinforced trust, mirroring the strong relationships KONE has built with its Chinese partners.
"Prime Minister Orpo went to China to reinforce the trust that has been built over time, which is actually very parallel to the trust that KONE has been building with the China-based ecosystem and its customers," he said.
Judy Marks, CEO and president of American elevator maker Otis emphasized the company's strong commitment to China, highlighting the access and enthusiasm she experiences on every visit.
"Well, every time I come to China, my agenda is packed, and I want it that way. I want to see our colleagues, I want to see our business partners, I want to see government officials. And guess what, in China, every time we have that access. It's always an exciting time in China. We're investing and we're here to stay," she said.
Rogier Janssens, president of Merck China, talked about his professional journey of returning to China, drawn by the country's rapid pace of development and the opportunities he sees unfolding.
"I am not new to China. I'm also not new to Merck. I ran the healthcare business for Merck between '17 and '22 out of Beijing. It's interesting. Actually, at some point in time, I was thinking about after 35 years of working in the pharmaceutical industry, I thought maybe I needed to slow down a little bit and take it easy. Maybe I'd take a job at the headquarters or something like that. But in reality, I thought no. There needs to be a bit more excitement and I'm super excited about what I'm seeing and hearing. I mean the speed of China, the way things are development so rapidly here," he said.
Since its inception in 2000, the China Development Forum has become one of the country's major platforms for dialog among Chinese government officials, global business leaders, international organizations, and scholars.
Global business leaders express confidence in China's market
