Z.ai: Inside a Top Chinese AI Lab

Is China Getting Worried About AI?

In this episode of the High Capacity podcast, I talk with Matt Sheehan, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, about the next phase of the US-China AI race: AI safety, open-source models, AI agents, job displacement, and what the US and China might discuss with each other. As the U.S. and China prepare for formal talks on AI, both sides are wrestling with a fast-changing technology landscape. The U.S. is increasingly worried about frontier model risks, cyber threats, non-state actors, and pre-release testing. China, meanwhile, is becoming more concerned about AI’s impact on jobs, social stability, political control, and the rise of autonomous AI agents. We discuss what China really fears about AI, why Beijing’s AI governance strategy is shifting from control to deployment to broader regulation, how open-source AI might complicate safety talks, and what realistic US-China talks on AI might look like. Topics covered: U.S.-China AI talks, AI safety, Chinese AI policy, AI agents, OpenClaw, open-source AI, frontier models, cyber risk, AI job displacement, China’s AI regulations, autonomous weapons, AI hotlines, and the future of AI governance. Links: - Matt Sheehan’s Substack [https://mattsheehan.substack.com/] - Matt Sheehan’s Carnegie page [https://carnegieendowment.org/people/matt-sheehan] - “China is getting worried about AI & jobs [https://mattsheehan.substack.com/p/china-is-getting-worried-about-ai]” - “China Is Worried About AI Companions. Here’s What It’s Doing About Them. [https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/02/china-is-worried-about-ai-companions-heres-what-its-doing-about-them]” - Matt Sheehan on Twitter: @mattsheehan88 [https://x.com/mattsheehan88] For transcripts and more, check out the ⁠High Capacity newsletter⁠ [https://www.highcapacity.org/] More about the host, Kyle Chan [https://www.kyleichan.com/], fellow at Brookings

How China is Rewriting the Rules of AI Healthcare with Dr. Ruby Wang

China’s biotech and healthcare sectors are evolving at extraordinary speed — from AI-powered “doctor avatars” and digital health super apps to a wave of Chinese drug innovation reshaping the global pharmaceutical industry. In this episode, I speak with physician and healthcare strategist Dr. Ruby Wang about the latest trends in China's AI + healthcare innovation.We discuss: * Why Western pharma companies are rushing to license Chinese drugs * China’s rise as a global biotech powerhouse * AI doctors, digital hospitals, and health super apps * The role of Alibaba, Ant Group, and DeepSeek in healthcare * Why China’s healthcare digitization is moving faster than the West * The future of AI in medicine and diagnosticsChinese medical devices, robotics, and healthcare hardware * How Chinese regulators accelerated biotech innovation * Whether healthcare can become China’s next major global export industry * The challenges China still faces in healthcare access and inequality Ruby Wang is a UK-trained physician, founder of China Health Pulse, and author of the upcoming book China Cure, which explores the global impact of China’s biotech and AI healthcare advances. Links: China Health Pulse newsletter and podcast: https://www.chinahealthpulse.com/ For transcripts and more, check out the ⁠High Capacity newsletter⁠: https://www.highcapacity.org/ More about the host, Kyle Chan: https://www.kyleichan.com/

Is China Building the Next NVIDIA? China's Semiconductor Industrial Policy with Paul Triolo

China is racing to build its own complete semiconductor industry, from AI chips and fabs to chipmaking tools like EUV lithography machines. I'm joined by industry expert Paul Triolo. 00:28 China’s Semiconductor Self-Reliance Push 11:50 How Huawei Became China’s Chip Champion 17:37 Huawei, SMIC, and the Fight for Fab Capacity 24:14 Can China Build Its Own EUV Lithography Machines? 36:55 DeepSeek, Huawei, and China’s AI Chip Feedback Loop 53:53 Why Chinese Tech Giants Are Designing Their Own Chips Links: * American Affairs: “Innovation Under Pressure: China’s Semiconductor Industry at a Crossroads [https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2026/02/innovation-under-pressure-chinas-semiconductor-industry-at-a-crossroads/]” * Paul Triolo on X: @pstAsiaTech [https://x.com/pstAsiatech] * Paul Triolo's Substack: AIStackDecrypted [https://pstaidecrypted.substack.com/] For transcripts and more, check out the ⁠High Capacity newsletter⁠ [https://www.highcapacity.org/]. Hosted by Kyle Chan [https://www.kyleichan.com/]

China and AI Supply Chains with TP Huang

In this special crossover episode, I talk with TP Huang about the broader AI supply chain beyond just models and chips. We cover the new DeepSeek V4 model and China’s efforts to integrate with domestic AI chips. We talk about energy infrastructure, like inverters and transformers. And we discuss the robotics supply chain and how this overlaps with smartphones, EVs, and other industries in China. Note: TP Huang is not on video, just audio. 00:00 Intro 01:13 DeepSeek V4 and Huawei chips 13:01 Hardware and Infrastructure Bottlenecks 21:03 Energy supply chain 29:58 Edge AI and small models 35:14 Embodied AI and robotics 39:14 China's robotics supply chain 45:43 Different tech paths 53:32 Commercializing scientific advances 58:44 Personal journeys in China tech Links: * Follow TP Huang on Twitter / X [https://x.com/tphuang] * TP’s Substack and China Tech Talk podcast [https://tphuang.substack.com/] For transcripts and more, check out the High Capacity newsletter [https://www.highcapacity.org/]. I'm your host, Kyle Chan [https://www.kyleichan.com/], a Fellow at Brookings.

Z.ai: Inside a Top Chinese AI Lab

This episode, I talk with Zixuan Li at Z.ai, one of China's top AI labs and the company behind the popular GLM models. Zixuan is Z.ai's Director of Product for genAI strategy and global partnerships. We discuss Z.ai's newest flagship AI model, the challenges of building agentic AI models, and what their longer AI strategy looks like. 00:00 Intro to Zixuan Li of Z.ai 00:29 GLM-5.1, Z.ai's Newest Flagship Model 04:34 Long Horizon Tasks 08:33 GLM Family of Foundation Models 14:30 Challenges in Developing Agentic AI Models 19:37 Working with Chinese AI Chipmakers 22:53 Open Source vs. Proprietary Models 36:49 Life After IPO and Chasing AGI 41:37 Z.ai's Global Strategy Links: * Z.ai [https://z.ai/] * GLM-5.1: Towards Long-Horizon Tasks [https://z.ai/blog/glm-5.1] * Zixuan on X/Twitter [https://x.com/ZixuanLi_] For transcripts and more, check out the High Capacity newsletter [https://www.highcapacity.org/].