---
title: "Mark Zuckerberg Announces New Race for \"Superintelligence\": Meta vs. China and OpenAI's Closed Models"
description: "Mark Zuckerberg announced a new race for \"superintelligence,\" calling on the US to compete with China and develop open weighted AI models. Meta will invest $145 billion in 2026 to catch up with competitors and ensure technology accessibility for everyone."
date: 2026-08-19T00:05:42.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/mark-zuckerberg-announces-new-race-for-superintelligence-meta-vs-china-and-closed-ai-models
tags: [artificial-intelligence, meta, china, open-source-ai, superintelligence]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Mark Zuckerberg Announces New Race for "Superintelligence": Meta vs. China and OpenAI's Closed Models

![Mark Zuckerberg against a blue backdrop, announcing a new race for superintelligence: Meta vs China and OpenAI](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/19/mark-zuckerberg-announces-new-race-for-superintelligence-meta-vs-china-and-closed-ai-models/mark-zuckerberg-announces-new-race-for-superintelligence-meta-vs-china-and-closed-ai-models-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Zuckerberg called on the US to compete with China in the race for "superintelligence".
- Meta is developing open weighted AI models, distinct from the closed systems of OpenAI and Anthropic.
- The company plans to spend $145 billion in 2026 on infrastructure and AI technologies.
- Chinese developers are putting pressure on American companies by introducing advanced models at low prices.

On August 19, 2026, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, made a major announcement regarding the company's strategic direction for the coming years. At the center of his focus is the race to create "superintelligence," a theoretical stage of artificial intelligence development where its capabilities will surpass human ones. Zuckerberg emphasized that the US must actively compete with China in this field to prevent the risk of excessive state control over AI and ensure the accessibility of advanced technologies for every individual.

### Open Weighted Models as a Response to Closed Systems

One of the key directions of Meta's strategy is the development of "open weighted" models. Unlike fully open-source software, these models do not publish the entire source code, but allow users to download the parameters that determine the system's operation. This approach distinguishes Meta from major competitors — OpenAI and Anthropic — which focus on closed AI models. Zuckerberg believes that concentrating superintelligence in the hands of a few corporations or governments could lead to a dangerous centralization of power.

### The New Glimmer Model and Infrastructure Investments

As part of his vision, Zuckerberg introduced a new open weighted model, Glimmer, partially developed based on the closed model Muse Spark, launched by Meta in April 2026. According to the company, Glimmer consumes significantly less computing power than many other models, yet is powerful enough to run "AI agents" — software products capable of performing tasks autonomously without constant human intervention. To realize these ambitions, Meta plans to spend up to $145 billion in 2026, which is almost double the amount spent in 2025.

### Pressure from Chinese Developers

American technology companies are facing growing pressure from Chinese developers such as Alibaba, DeepSeek, and Moonshot. In recent months, they have consistently introduced advanced open models at lower prices, forcing American companies to lower prices and develop more cost-effective solutions. Zuckerberg warned that even a delay of one month could create significant risks for the US leading position, while foreign models continue to gain momentum.

### Contradictory Data

There are differences in assessments of how effectively Meta will be able to compete with Chinese developers. On the one hand, the company is investing huge funds in infrastructure and AI technologies, which should give it an advantage. On the other hand, Chinese companies demonstrate a high speed of implementing new models and lower prices, which could become a serious challenge for American developers. Furthermore, there are questions about how successfully Meta will be able to implement its strategy of open weighted models in conditions of fierce competition.

### Call for a Flexible Legal Environment

Zuckerberg called on Washington to create a flexible legal environment for open AI models. According to him, in such a rapidly changing field as AI, active cooperation between the government and leading laboratories would be more effective than applying a rigid evaluation process in each case. "Our goal should be to make American open-source models the best in the world. To do this, it is necessary to eliminate barriers that hinder competition for American open-source models," he emphasized.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Mark Zuckerberg wants American artificial intelligence to surpass Chinese in the race for "superintelligence".](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/mark-zuckerberg-muon-dua-ai-my-vuot-trung-quoc-trong-cuoc-dua-sieu-tri-tue) - Источник подтверждает основные тезисы статьи о стратегии Meta и конкуренции с Китаем.
- [Zuckerberg called a monopoly on powerful AI models a dangerous scenario for humanity. What lies behind...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B2-%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B5/20260811-%D1%86%D1%83%D0%BA%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B1%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B3-%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BB-%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%8E-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%89%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%BC-%D1%81%D1%86%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B5%D0%BC-%D0%B4%D0%BB%D1%8F-%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B0-%D1%87%D1%82%D0%BE-%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B8%D1%82-%D0%B7%D0%B0-%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BC-%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%8F%D0%B2%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5%D0%BC) - Источник подтверждает критику Цукербергом концентрации власти в руках нескольких корпораций.
- [Zuckerberg's Manifesto: One major risk of AI development is sounding the alarm](https://inosmi.ru/20260810/iskusstvennyy-intellekt-279639671.html) - Источник подтверждает призыв Цукерберга к гибкой правовой среде для открытых моделей ИИ.
- [Zuckerberg spoke out against the ban on Chinese AI models in the US](https://tass.ru/obschestvo/27963551) - Источник подтверждает позицию Цукерберга о необходимости конкуренции с китайскими разработчиками.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What is "superintelligence"?
**A:** "Superintelligence" is a theoretical concept denoting a stage where AI capabilities surpass human intelligence.

### Q: What is Meta's strategy in the field of AI?
**A:** Meta is developing open weighted AI models that allow users to download parameters defining the system's operation, and is investing billions of dollars in infrastructure and AI technologies.

### Q: Why does Zuckerberg criticize closed AI models?
**A:** Zuckerberg believes that concentrating superintelligence in the hands of a few corporations or governments could lead to a dangerous centralization of power.

### Q: What investments does Meta plan for 2026?
**A:** Meta plans to spend up to $145 billion in 2026, which is almost double the amount spent in 2025.