Chinese open source AI models are gaining strong global attention. Download numbers, developer activity, token usage, and ecosystem growth all show rapid expansion.
From individual model downloads to billion-scale milestones, the data points to rising global adoption.
The data statistics in this article come from real and verified sources, which are attached below for reference. Each section uses reported figures to show how Chinese open-source AI models compete globally.
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Which Chinese Open Source AI Models Are Getting the Most Downloads?
Chinese models dominate the open source rankings. Reports show that 8 out of the top 10 open source large models are from China. This shows strong global interest in Chinese AI systems.
Here are the individual download snapshots:
- Qwen 72B (Alibaba Cloud) — 10,377 downloads
- SUS Chat 34B (SUSTech) — 4,823 downloads
- 72B Preview Llamafied Qwen (Derived from Qwen) — 4,655 downloads
- DeepSeek LLM 67B Chat (DeepSeek) — 3,966 downloads
- Caigun LoRA Model 34B v2 (APMIC) — 2,077 downloads
- OpenBuddy DeepSeek 67B v15.1 — 2,090 downloads
Qwen 72B leads this group with the highest downloads. Both base models and fine-tuned versions are seeing strong adoption, which shows that developers actively build on Chinese open source AI models.
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How Many Total Downloads Has Alibaba’s Qwen Achieved Globally?
Alibaba’s Qwen model family first crossed 700 million downloads by January 2026. It then surpassed 1 billion total downloads worldwide. The models now average around 1.1 million downloads per day.
This sequence shows strong momentum. Qwen did not just reach a large number once. It kept growing after 700 million and moved past the one billion mark. The daily average of 1.1 million downloads shows that developers and companies continue to adopt Qwen at scale across global markets.
Are Chinese Developers and US Startups Driving Adoption of Chinese Open Source AI Models?
In September 2025, Alibaba’s Qwen model family replaced Meta’s Llama as the most downloaded language model family on Hugging Face.
Chinese developers account for 17.1% of all Hugging Face downloads, while US developers account for 15.8%. This shows that Chinese developers now lead in open source AI download activity. The gap is small, but China holds the top position in developer-driven adoption.
At the same time, 80% of US AI startups use Chinese open source models in their product development.
And around 40% of Chinese AI models are used for advanced tasks such as programming and design. These numbers show real-world usage. Companies do not just download these models. They use them in production and technical work.
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How Large Is China’s Global Open Source AI Usage Share?
Chinese open source large language models grew from just 1.2% global usage share in late 2024 to nearly 30% within a few months in the next year. At the same time, Western proprietary models such as GPT 4o and GPT 5 still hold around 70% of global share.
This sharp jump from 1.2% to nearly 30% shows fast global adoption of Chinese open source AI systems. While Western models remain dominant overall, Chinese models now control a significant share of global open source AI usage.
How Do Chinese Open Source Models Perform in Global Token Usage?
A large scale study analyzed 100 trillion tokens to measure real world usage of AI models. The data shows that Chinese open source large language models account for around 13% of total weekly global token volume, while models from the rest of the world average 13.7%.
This shows that Chinese open source models handle a major share of global AI workloads. The gap between Chinese models and the rest of the world is very small, which proves strong global usage beyond simple download numbers.
How Strong Is China’s Open Source AI Model Ecosystem?
Alibaba’s Qwen model family has generated over 200,000 derivative models, becoming the first open source foundation model to reach this scale. Earlier counts showed 115,000 derivative models, which already placed it ahead of global competitors. In comparison, Google has around 72,000 derivative models, Meta has 46,000, and OpenAI has 11,000.
These numbers show deep ecosystem growth. Developers do not just download Qwen. They build new models on top of it. A high number of derivative models means strong community support and long-term global adoption.
Where Does China Rank in Global LLM Token Share?
In the global LLM token share ranking, the United States ranks first, followed by Singapore in second place, Germany in third, and China in fourth place.
Importantly, in 2024, the top open AI models were mostly made in the United States. By October 2025, the best open model was made in China.
On Huggongface developer platforms, DeepSeek received 12.8K likes, compared to Llama with 6.3K likes and OpenAI models with 4K likes, showing stronger community interest in Chinese open models.
This ranking shows that China competes among the top AI-producing nations in real usage volume. Even though it ranks fourth in token share by country, its open source models already hold a major position in global downloads and ecosystem growth. This confirms that Chinese open source AI models now play a serious role in the global AI landscape.
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Final Words
The data shows a clear pattern. Chinese open source AI models are no longer small players. Individual models record thousands of downloads. Alibaba’s Qwen crossed 1 billion total downloads. Chinese developers now lead in open source download share. These models process a large share of global token volume. The ecosystem also shows more than 200,000 derivative models built on Qwen.
These numbers confirm one shift. Chinese open source AI models now stand as global competitors. Developers, startups, and enterprises across different countries use them for real production work. The global AI landscape is becoming more balanced, and open source models from China play a major role in that change.
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Data Sources
- https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3335602/chinas-open-source-models-make-30-global-ai-usage-led-qwen-and-deepseek
- https://www.trendforce.com/news/2026/01/26/news-chinese-ai-models-reportedly-hit-15-global-share-in-nov-2025-fueled-by-deepseek-open-source-push/
- https://zh.cn.nikkei.com/china/ccompany/61045-2026-01-13-11-05-17.html
- https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3339568/alibabas-qwen-family-hits-700-million-downloads-lead-global-open-source-ai-adoption
- https://www.ctee.com.tw/news/20260121701403-430804
- https://the-decoder.com/china-captured-the-global-lead-in-open-weight-ai-development-during-2025-stanford-analysis-shows/
- https://www.chosun.com/english/industry-en/2026/02/08/EEOKEXA75ZAJLCCLISXOC3V2RA/
- https://pandaily.com/alibaba-s-qwen-open-source-models-surpass-1-billion-downloads-ranking-first-globally?utm_source=www.china-insights.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=airbus-deploys-ubtech-robots-tcl-controls-sony-bravia-qwen-hits-1b-downloads
- https://www.163.com/dy/article/KMMUNQB80514R9KQ.html
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/chinas-open-source-models-30-093000383.html
- https://www.apmic.ai/en/news/taiwanllm
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/10/13/china-us-open-source-ai/
