0617 GMT - The next phase of China's artificial-intelligence development is likely to depend less on benchmark gains and more on deployment efficiency across the wider stack, says Fitch Ratings in a note. It notes recent developments involving DeepSeek, Huawei and data-centre networking suggest China is making progress across multiple layers of the AI stack as it focuses on software and deployment infrastructure rather than model capability alone. China's efforts to achieve self-sufficiency are also extending beyond models and processors, and the local ecosystem is developing across software, processors, networking and infrastructure, says Fitch. Progress across the wider China AI stack could support adoption in some emerging markets where affordability matters more, Fitch adds.