REVIEW article
Front. Polit. Sci.
Sec. Politics of Technology
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpos.2025.1629914
The Green Algorithm: Can Sustainability Define the Winner in the AI Race?
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universidad San Jorge, Zaragoza, Spain
- 2Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva del Gállego, Spain
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This article explores whether environmental sustainability may become a strategic axis in the evolving AI rivalry between China and the United States. By comparing ChatGPT and DeepSeek, it examines how ecological efficiency, data sovereignty, and infrastructural autonomy intersect with national AI strategies. While ChatGPT remain cloud-dependent and resource-intensive, DeepSeek—according to unverified developer data—prioritizes offline deployment and energy-efficient design, aligning with China’s pursuit of techno-sovereignty. Still, potential ecological gains may be undermined by online variants or outdated hardware. Also, the literature highlights security risks associated with DeepSeek’s distilled modelsThis analysis, grounded in a case study that is not fully representative but rather illustrative, shows that sustainability is no longer peripheral but increasingly regarded as an important element of geopolitical agendas. Although it remains premature to conclude that it is a decisive axis of technological competition, current evidence suggests a gradual reframing of strategic priorities toward more responsible innovation.
Keywords: AI race, deepseek, ChatGPT, sustainability, Data sovereignty
Received: 20 May 2025; Accepted: 16 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rivero, Chinarro Vadillo and Prieto Andres. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sebastián Rivero, Universidad San Jorge, Zaragoza, Spain
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