Chinese AI models lead global usage for 2nd straight week: data

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

Five of the eight cases reported from the cruise ship MV Hondius were confirmed as hantavirus infection, and the virus involved is the Andes virus, said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday.

The outbreak aboard the cruise ship has infected eight people and resulted in three deaths, Tedros told a press conference.

"So far, eight cases have been reported, including three deaths. Five of the eight cases have been confirmed as hantavirus, and the other three are suspected," he said.

The virus involved is the Andes virus, according to Tedros.

"The species of hantavirus involved in this case is the Andes virus -- which is found in Latin America and is the only species known to be capable of limited transmission between humans," he said.

The Andes virus, a rare hantavirus found mainly in South America, is a rodent-borne virus capable of limited human-to-human transmission. Previous outbreaks showed transmission typically occurred through close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members and healthcare workers.

Tedros noted that given the incubation period for the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, "it's possible that more cases may be reported."

But he stressed that, "While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low."

The ship is currently sailing for the Canary Islands. Passengers abroad have been asked to remain in their cabins while being disinfected. Anyone who develops symptoms will be isolated immediately.

The director-general noted that the WHO is aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with one of the passengers, and each case remains in close contact with the relevant authorities.

"Our priorities are to ensure the affected patients receive care, that the remaining passengers on the ship are kept safe and treated with dignity, and to prevent any further spread of the virus," he said.

Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship involves Andes virus: WHO