US firms now account for more than half of their AI token consumption on OpenRouter with Chinese models, capturing approximately 58% of usage to surpass domestic equivalents for the first time. The Chinese share has more than tripled over recent months, with the DeepSeek model ranking as the single most popular choice ahead of Qwen, MiniMax, and Kimi.

The shift coincides with reports that Trump administration officials are considering a restriction on U.S. access to leading Chinese AI systems, mirroring a security debate currently unfolding in Washington. The trend follows the release of the Kimi K3 model by Moonshot, which investors say rivals top U.S. systems and triggered a fresh selloff in AI and semiconductor equities.