10 Countries Most Advanced in the AI Race, the US Is No Longer the Sole Ruler

YOGYAKARTA - In the midst of rapidly developing digital technology, there are several countries that are the most advanced in the current AI race. This competition is no longer just about technology, but also concerns the world's economy and geopolitics.

A recent report released by TRG Datacenters reveals an interesting fact. The results turned out not to be entirely in line with the predictions of many people. You may be surprised to see which country actually excels.

Curious about the Most Advanced Country in the AI Race? The United States Still Holds the Top Spot

The United States remains the most dominant country in the world of AI this year. This country has a computing capacity equivalent to almost 39.7 million H100 chips and the highest energy capacity reaching 19.8 thousand megawatts. It is this combination of computing power and energy that makes it difficult for the US to be pursued.

This advantage is not accidental. The giant data center infrastructure and massive private investment are its main foundation. It is natural that many parties still make the US the main benchmark for global AI progress.

United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Become a Surprising Black Horse

This fact is the most interesting part of the report. The United Arab Emirates took second place with a computing capacity of around 23.1 million H100 equivalents, beating many countries that are better known as technology centers.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia followed in third place with around 7.2 million H100 equivalents. These two Middle Eastern countries are pouring their oil wealth into building giant AI infrastructure.

Read also: What is AGI? Learn about its meaning, difference from AI, and its development technology

South Korea, France, and India Compete Closely

South Korea is in fourth place with a capacity of around 5.1 million H100 equivalents. The level of labor involvement in AI is also quite high.

Then France took fifth place thanks to 18 clusters of data and strong chip resources, even being said to be superior in the number of AI chips than China, India, and South Korea.

Meanwhile, India rounds out the sixth position with eight clusters and a rapidly growing AI ecosystem. This growth is in line with the recent rapid investment in technology in the country.

Even though China has the most clusters, it is not the ruler of computing

Another unique fact comes from China. This country actually has the largest number of AI clusters in the world, namely 230 clusters. Unfortunately, in terms of computing capacity, China only occupies the seventh position due to energy efficiency and hardware that is still lagging behind.

This shows that the large number of infrastructure does not automatically mean superior. The quantity of clusters alone is not enough without adequate energy support and chip efficiency. This is why the world's AI ranking can be very different from what many people imagine.

Position 8-10 Filled from Europe

The United Kingdom, Finland, and Germany complete positions eight to ten on this list. The three of them are still taken into account through national AI policies and mature industry ecosystems, even though their computing capacity is considered moderate.

Germany itself is quite surprising because it only occupies the tenth position, even though this country is known as a traditional industrial power in Europe.

It's Not Just About Computers and Chips

It's important to understand that computing power is not the only determinant of a country's AI progress. AI talent, industry adoption, supportive government regulations, and startup ecosystems also play a big role.

The top ten countries even have a total of 496 AI clusters with a combined computing capacity equivalent to about 79 million H100 chips.

This has made global AI investment jump to 200 billion US dollars this year, which indicates an increasingly fierce competition. This figure is a signal that the battle for the top position is far from over.

If only a handful of countries master this technology, the impact can be very wide. Starting from the concentration of economic power, control over crucial technology, to global-scale social and cultural influence.

For this reason, developing countries need to be aware of the potential for digital dependence in this situation.

Understanding the most advanced country in the AI race, it is important that you do not misread the direction of the world's technology in the future. To follow the latest developments regarding technology and other global issues, continue to visit the VOI main page.