Chinese AI Models Gain Majority Token Share on Vercel as House Committees Investigate

Chinese AI models now handle most tokens used on two developer platforms, according to company-usage figures shared with CNBC. Vercel’s newly reported numbers extend a shift already visible on OpenRouter. As lower prices help win work, two U.S. House committees are investigating the impact of rising adoption.

The shift reaches a second platform

In February, Chinese models accounted for 6%–13% of tokens used on OpenRouter. Their share reached 57%–67% in the week of September 14. Vercel’s data shows that the rise is not confined to OpenRouter: Chinese models also reached a majority of tokens used on its system by August.

Both figures count tokens, the units of text models process, on platforms that give developers access to different providers. They show where work is being sent through those services, not Chinese models’ share of all AI use. Vercel did not specify a geographic breakdown, so its figures cannot show where that platform’s growth is concentrated.

Why cheaper models are getting the work

OpenRouter insights head Peter Walker told CNBC that Chinese open-source models released this year have become credible for advanced multi-step work, especially coding, in a way they were not in late 2025. He also described them as much cheaper than most models from American labs. That is his assessment, not a finding that the models perform equally well on every task.

Vercel’s Harpreet Arora described the buying decision to CNBC: once a lower-cost model is capable enough for a job, its price becomes compelling. Companies still turn to leading U.S. models for some more complicated tasks, he said. Those U.S. models also attract more overall spending, despite the token shares on these two platforms.

Where adoption is strongest

OpenRouter’s figures cover companies in the U.S., Europe and 82 countries it groups as the “Global South.” Among companies in that last group, Chinese models handled 67% of tokens in recent weeks. U.S. companies account for about half of all tokens on OpenRouter, giving the platform’s geographic breakdown a wider context than the regional figure alone.

A commercial shift draws political scrutiny

Two U.S. House committees are investigating the impact of rising Chinese-model adoption. Washington has already restricted Chinese AI companies’ access to advanced chips through export controls. CNBC also describes U.S. concerns about remote access to chips through overseas data centers and distillation, a method in which a newer model learns to mimic an established one. Those concerns are not findings about the models counted in the platform figures.

Daniel Remler of the Center for a New American Security warned CNBC that countries using Chinese models could move closer to China’s technology sphere and eventually its geopolitical orbit. That remains a forecast. The next test is whether this growing use brings Chinese providers more spending—and whether lawmakers treat adoption itself as a security concern.