China Launches $8.2 Billion AI Fund to Boost Domestic Industry

China has launched an $8.2 billion artificial intelligence funding initiative. The state-backed AI Industry Investment Fund will focus on early-stage projects and key areas of the AI supply chain, including computing infrastructure, algorithms, data resources, and applications. Robotics is also a major focus. The funding comes from the third phase of the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund. This initiative aims to accelerate China's chip self-sufficiency amid trade friction and export controls on Western technologies.