Amazon closes its AI lab in Shanghai amid tech race between US and China

Amazon closed its artificial intelligence research lab in Shanghai, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told AFP.

The closure of this Amazon Web Services (AWS) subsidiary's center comes amid a tech race between China and the United States, especially in the field of A.I. and the semiconductors that are key to its development.

In a screenshot from social media app WeChat that has circulated widely during the week, Wang Minjie, a scientist at this lab, claims that it was dismantled due to "the strategic fit between China and the United States."

AWS cuts staff in China

AWS announced a downsizing of its workforce last week that, according to some reports, may affect hundreds of jobs.

"We’ve made the difficult business decision to eliminate some roles across particular teams in AWS," its spokesman Brad Glasser said in a statement.

"These decisions are necessary as we continue to invest, hire, and optimize resources to deliver innovation for our customers," he added.

An AWS China page dedicated to the lab consulted was no longer available Friday.

According to an archived version of its website, the Amazon Web Services subsidiary's lab was established in 2018 to "actively drive collaboration with the research community."