AsianFin -- Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said U.S. tech sanctions on China are backfiring by accelerating the country’s push for self-sufficiency in semiconductors and other advanced technologies.

In a recent interview with CNN, Gates was asked whether the restrictions are, paradoxically, achieving the opposite of their intended purpose. “Absolutely,” Gates replied. “They’ve forced the Chinese, in terms of chip manufacturing and everything, to go full speed ahead.” He added, “We made clear to them that they needed to make their own chips, and they’re making great progress on doing that.”

Gates emphasized that in a world increasingly shaped by open-source software, neither China nor the U.S. will pull far ahead of the other in AI development. “AI technologies will be available to the world,” he noted, “and people can build on those in their own way.”

Despite Washington’s export controls—especially on advanced NVIDIA chips—China’s AI industry remains on a fast-growth path, according to veteran telecom analyst Ma Jihua. Speaking to the Global Times, Ma said the momentum is driven by China’s robust industrial base and a strategic pivot toward tech self-reliance, which is yielding breakthroughs in both hardware and software.