Data Insight: US and Chinese companies train almost all of the world’s most-used AI models
1. Key Themes
US-China AI Duopoly Solidifying
The AI model landscape is consolidating around just two nations, with virtually no other countries gaining meaningful traction in real-world usage.
"A technology that more people use every year is, so far, almost entirely the product of two countries."
China's Rapid Ascent in AI Model Adoption
China's share of top-used models has grown fourfold in roughly 16 months, signaling competitive parity is approaching faster than many expected.
"China-based companies have grown rapidly, from 5 models in the daily top 50 at the beginning of 2025 to 20 in May 2026."
US Dominance Is Eroding, Not Holding
While the US still leads, its position is actively declining — this is not a static lead.
"US-based companies still account for most models in OpenRouter's top 50. But their presence has declined."
2. Contrarian Perspectives
Europe and the Rest of the World Are Effectively Irrelevant in AI Deployment (Despite Heavy Regulatory Presence) Despite Europe's outsized role in AI regulation and policy, it has near-zero representation in models people actually use. Only France's Mistral AI holds a token position.
"Very few top-50 models come from companies outside the United States and China. Canada was represented early in 2025 by Cohere's Command R models, while France remains represented by Mistral AI's NeMo model."
The implicit contrarian point: regulatory leadership does not translate to market leadership. Europe is shaping rules for a game its companies are barely playing.
Usage Data Is a Better Signal Than Benchmark Leaderboards Most AI coverage focuses on benchmark performance. This analysis uses actual daily usage across a major multi-model platform as the ranking metric — a more honest proxy for real-world value creation.
"I analyzed the data published by OpenRouter on the 50 most used models each day since January 2025 and calculated the average monthly presence by origin country."
3. Companies Identified
| Company | Description | Why Mentioned | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenRouter | Multi-model AI access platform | Primary data source; positioned as a neutral, high-signal lens into model usage at scale | "OpenRouter is a large platform that allows users to interact with and write software on top of AI models through a single interface." |
| OpenAI | US-based frontier AI lab | Named as a major contributor to US dominance in top-50 models | "It includes all the models from large companies like Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta..." |
| US tech giant | Same as above | Same quote | |
| Anthropic | US-based AI safety/model company | Same as above | Same quote |
| Meta | US tech giant (open-source models) | Same as above | Same quote |
| DeepSeek | Chinese AI lab | Cited as part of China's rising representation | "...Meta, DeepSeek, and Alibaba..." |
| Alibaba | Chinese tech conglomerate | Same as above | Same quote |
| Mistral AI | French AI startup | Only remaining non-US/China representative in top 50 | "France remains represented by Mistral AI's NeMo model." |
| Cohere | Canadian AI company | Early 2025 non-US/China presence; has since faded | "Canada was represented early in 2025 by Cohere's Command R models." |
4. People Identified
Edouard Mathieu
- Description: Data analyst/researcher at Our World in Data
- Why Mentioned: Author of the analysis; conducted the original research on OpenRouter's model usage data
- Quote: Byline — "By Edouard Mathieu"
5. Operating Insights
Build on Platforms With Broad Model Access to Hedge Geopolitical Risk If your product or infrastructure is locked into US-only model providers, China's rapid rise in capable, widely-used models represents both a risk and an opportunity. Platforms like OpenRouter, which abstract across both US and Chinese models, may become strategically critical.
"OpenRouter is a large platform that allows users to interact with and write software on top of AI models through a single interface. It includes all the models from large companies like Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, DeepSeek, and Alibaba."
Watch Usage Rankings, Not Just Benchmarks For investors and product builders, tracking which models are actually being used in production (via platforms like OpenRouter) is a more reliable signal of model quality and stickiness than self-reported benchmark scores.
"I analyzed the data published by OpenRouter on the 50 most used models each day since January 2025."
6. Overlooked Insights
Cohere's Fade Is a Warning Sign for Mid-Tier Western AI Labs Cohere appeared in the top 50 early in 2025 but has since dropped out entirely, while Chinese competitors surged. This quiet exit may foreshadow pressure on other well-funded but non-frontier Western labs.
"Canada was represented early in 2025 by Cohere's Command R models."
OpenRouter Itself May Be an Underappreciated Infrastructure Play The article implicitly highlights OpenRouter as the de facto neutral aggregator of AI model usage — a role that historically accrues significant leverage and data advantages. Its position as the measurement standard for model adoption is worth watching.
"OpenRouter is a large platform that allows users to interact with and write software on top of AI models through a single interface."