China accounts for 57% of top global AI talent

Data from 2025 collected by the Carnegie think tank reveals that 57.4% of the world's top artificial intelligence talent originated in China. This concentration of expertise highlights a significant shift in the human and industrial geography required to build modern technological systems.

An analysis of the top 30 global research institutions where the most prominent researchers operate shows that excellence is concentrated within only four nations: China, the United States, South Korea, and Singapore. Notably, European institutions, both public and private, are absent from this elite selection of global AI research leaders.

In terms of industrial growth, projections for 2026 suggest a 3.3% growth rate for chips in South Korea and a 10.7% growth rate in Taiwan.