https://www.scmp.com/rss/521214/feed Zhipu, spun out of Tsinghua University's Computer Science Department, is an artificial intelligence company with the stated mission of teaching machines to think like humans. The Beijing-based company's AI team has developed large language and multimodal models, and built high-precision billion-scale knowledge graphs to create a data- and knowledge-driven cognitive engine towards artificial general intelligence. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Minxiao Chang,Coco Feng Minxiao Chang,Coco Feng Chinese artificial intelligence start-up Moonshot AI has raised about US$2 billion in a new funding round, boosting its valuation to more than US$20 billion as it navigates Beijing’s new listing rules for companies registered overseas. The funding was led by Long-Z Investments, Meituan’s venture arm, and involved China Mobile. Over the past six months, Moonshot had raised a total of US$3.9 billion, according to a statement by the deal’s financial adviser HF Capital on Thursday. The Beijing-based... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3352751/kimi-developer-moonshot-ai-valued-us20b-it-navigates-chinas-new-ipo-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3352751/kimi-developer-moonshot-ai-valued-us20b-it-navigates-chinas-new-ipo-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 10:27:37 +0000 Wency Chen,Vincent Chow Wency Chen,Vincent Chow China and the United States are taking divergent paths to developing artificial intelligence (AI), putting their technology ecosystems increasingly at odds. This divergence was on show on April 24 when start-up DeepSeek launched its next-generation V4 AI models that were optimised for use with the Ascend chips and associated software tools of tech giant Huawei Technologies. China has for years been pursuing technological self-reliance, a policy reiterated by the Communist Party’s Politburo at... https://www.scmp.com/plus/tech/tech-war/article/3352563/ai-ecosystems-china-and-us-grow-apart-amid-tech-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/tech/tech-war/article/3352563/ai-ecosystems-china-and-us-grow-apart-amid-tech-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 04:15:04 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang DeepSeek has slashed prices on its artificial intelligence models, including its latest V4 which now costs 97 per cent less than OpenAI products, potentially triggering a price war in the highly competitive AI market. DeepSeek said on Sunday that it would reduce prices for “input cache hits” – where previously processed context was reused – for application programming interface (API) users to one-tenth of the original level, bringing the minimum input cost down to about US$0.14 per million... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3351595/chinas-deepseek-prices-new-v4-ai-model-97-below-openais-gpt-55?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3351595/chinas-deepseek-prices-new-v4-ai-model-97-below-openais-gpt-55?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 22:00:15 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang As Chinese artificial intelligence companies continue to push for the adoption of their flagship models overseas, they have taken on a new role as a key source of so-called “token exports” to the global market. Chinese AI models accounted for four of the top 10 models in terms of token consumption on popular AI model marketplace OpenRouter from March 18 to April 18, highlighting their growing visibility in global developer usage of AI systems. Domestic token demand has been surging at an... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351011/can-token-exports-give-china-edge-ai-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351011/can-token-exports-give-china-edge-ai-era?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow In the first of a three-part series on Anthropic’s new powerful Mythos AI model, we look at its impact on Chinese AI, cybersecurity and competition with the US. US start-up Anthropic announced its latest artificial intelligence model Claude Mythos Preview on April 7, sparking an unprecedented global response among policymakers and regulators due to its powerful ability to identify and exploit cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Instead of a public release, Anthropic released Mythos to a consortium of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3350987/anthropics-mythos-stoking-cybersecurity-fears-what-does-it-mean-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3350987/anthropics-mythos-stoking-cybersecurity-fears-what-does-it-mean-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 08:00:08 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow In China’s hyper-competitive and lucrative tech industry, releasing cutting-edge artificial intelligence models for free may seem counter-intuitive – but it has become a core business strategy. At the University of Hong Kong last November, Alibaba Group Holding chairman Joe Tsai was asked why the tech giant open-sourced its AI models. Addressing a room full of students, Tsai said he believed open-source AI would bring global benefits by lowering costs, making it a natural fit for talent- and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3350340/chinas-ai-firms-scaled-open-source-models-next-phase-may-be-different?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3350340/chinas-ai-firms-scaled-open-source-models-next-phase-may-be-different?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:00:17 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang Chinese artificial intelligence company Zhipu AI open-sourced its latest flagship model, GLM-5.1, on Wednesday while raising application programming interface prices by 10 per cent, signalling a shift towards monetising advanced AI capabilities as competition with US rivals intensifies. The move marked Zhipu’s second price increase this year, following a broader overhaul in February that lifted rates for its coding subscription plans by more than 30 per cent. While the latest adjustment was more... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3349422/chinas-zhipu-ai-open-sources-flagship-model-raises-prices-narrow-gap-us-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3349422/chinas-zhipu-ai-open-sources-flagship-model-raises-prices-narrow-gap-us-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:00:27 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese tech companies are engaged in a public war of words as they compete to capitalise on US start-up Anthropic’s decision to pull its industry-leading Claude models from open-source AI agent tool OpenClaw. The development comes as AI agents have triggered a huge increase in demand for AI tokens – the core metric of AI usage – raising questions about the long-term ability of industry players to meet this demand amid a growing global crunch in computational power. On Sunday, Anthropic... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3349146/chinese-ai-rivals-clash-over-anthropics-openclaw-exit-amid-global-token-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3349146/chinese-ai-rivals-clash-over-anthropics-openclaw-exit-amid-global-token-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:58:08 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese artificial intelligence start-ups Zhipu AI and MiniMax have shown early signs of sustainable commercialisation of their AI models, analysts said, as investors continue to pump up their Hong Kong stocks despite widening losses. That assessment comes as the companies reported their first earnings since their respective initial public offerings in early January, providing a glimpse into the business models of an industry still in its infancy globally. The South China Morning Post takes a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3348699/what-zhipu-and-minimaxs-first-post-ipo-earnings-say-about-2-chinese-ai-start-ups?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3348699/what-zhipu-and-minimaxs-first-post-ipo-earnings-say-about-2-chinese-ai-start-ups?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 02:00:09 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese open-source artificial intelligence models, led by those from MiniMax AI and Moonshot AI, have topped global token usage, ending a year of market dominance for US developers, according to data from OpenRouter. Online AI hosting platform OpenRouter’s latest ranking reflected the increased international demand for Chinese open-source models on its site following a series of new releases. Launched around two weeks ago, the M2.5 from Shanghai-based MiniMax emerged as the most popular AI... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3344587/chinas-minimax-moonshot-top-ai-token-use-ranking-ending-year-us-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3344587/chinas-minimax-moonshot-top-ai-token-use-ranking-ending-year-us-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 11:30:07 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang China’s frontier artificial intelligence labs are ending the lunar year on a high note, racing to release a series of new AI models in the last few weeks of the Year of the Snake as the country gears up to celebrate the start of the Year of the Horse. Beijing-based Zhipu AI and Shanghai-quartered MiniMax, which just made their stock exchange debuts in Hong Kong, would be the next to update their flagship AI systems with across-the-board enhancements, according to sources familiar with their... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3342051/chinas-ai-labs-race-debut-latest-models-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3342051/chinas-ai-labs-race-debut-latest-models-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:00:11 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Moonshot AI’s newest release, Kimi K2.5, has narrowed the gap between the US and China to the closest it has ever been in the development of artificial intelligence models, according to third-party evaluations. That feat by the Beijing-based start-up, founded in March 2023, has raised questions about the efficacy of US policies – most notably, export controls on advanced semiconductors – to constrain China’s AI development efforts, said Kyle Chan, a fellow of the John L Thornton China Centre at... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341580/moonshots-newest-release-narrows-us-china-ai-model-development-gap-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341580/moonshots-newest-release-narrows-us-china-ai-model-development-gap-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:00:10 +0000 Ben Jiang,Coco Feng Ben Jiang,Coco Feng The new year kicked off with the blockbuster public market debuts of two Chinese artificial intelligence high-flyers – Zhipu AI and MiniMax – making them the world’s first publicly listed large language model (LLM) start-ups. The listings put them ahead of US rivals including Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Amazon.com-supported Anthropic, which have yet to reach public markets. Both Chinese companies have been backed by heavyweight investors, including state-linked funds and big tech groups such as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341063/next-level-why-chinas-game-makers-are-quietly-bankrolling-generative-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341063/next-level-why-chinas-game-makers-are-quietly-bankrolling-generative-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 01:00:12 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Zhipu AI, known internationally as Z.ai, is restricting sign-ups for its new flagship artificial intelligence coding product, as existing users face performance issues amid a computing crunch that continues to beset Chinese AI firms. On Wednesday, the Beijing-based firm announced in a WeChat post that it would limit new sign-ups for its GLM Coding Plan to 20 per cent of existing levels and crack down on “malicious” use. This issue reflected the challenge faced by a growing number of Chinese AI... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341000/computing-constraints-force-chinas-zhipu-restrict-sign-ups-ai-coding-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341000/computing-constraints-force-chinas-zhipu-restrict-sign-ups-ai-coding-service?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 09:00:21 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese artificial intelligence firm Zhipu AI said its new image generation model was trained on chips from Huawei Technologies, making it the first powerful open-source model to be developed on an entirely domestic training stack. The Beijing-based company, fresh off its Hong Kong initial public offering, said on Wednesday that the achievement proved the feasibility of developing powerful multimodal models without US semiconductors, as Beijing pushes for self-reliance in China’s AI industry... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3339869/zhipu-ai-breaks-us-chip-reliance-first-major-model-trained-huawei-stack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3339869/zhipu-ai-breaks-us-chip-reliance-first-major-model-trained-huawei-stack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 12:00:14 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Alibaba Cloud’s flagship Qwen family of artificial intelligence models surpassed 700 million downloads as of January on the developer platform Hugging Face, which made it the world’s most widely used open-source AI system. According to research published by Interconnects.ai, citing data from Hugging Face, estimated Qwen downloads as of December alone exceeded the combined total of the next eight most popular models on the platform globally, including those from Meta Platforms and OpenAI, as well... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3339568/alibabas-qwen-family-hits-700-million-downloads-lead-global-open-source-ai-adoption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3339568/alibabas-qwen-family-hits-700-million-downloads-lead-global-open-source-ai-adoption?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 07:01:21 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang Chinese start-up Zhipu AI headlined a trio of technology new listings in Hong Kong on Thursday, in a key test of investor confidence in China’s AI industry as it goes head to head with US giants. Shares of the Beijing-based company rose 3.3 per cent to HK$120 at the open from the initial public offering (IPO) price of HK$116.20. The stock later rose as much as 16.2 per cent before ending the day 13.2 per cent higher at HK$131.50, valuing the company at HK$57.89 billion (US$7.43 billion). Zhipu... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3339109/three-chinese-tech-stocks-gain-hong-kong-debuts-investors-jump-ai-robotics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3339109/three-chinese-tech-stocks-gain-hong-kong-debuts-investors-jump-ai-robotics?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 01:43:13 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang MiniMax is set to raise at least HK$4.2 billion (US$537.7 million) by pricing its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) at the top of its marketed range, underscoring strong demand for China’s artificial intelligence sector amid an intensifying race with the US. The Shanghai-based firm, backed by Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings, planned to price its 25.4 million shares on offer at HK$165 each, according to people familiar with the matter. The company would stop taking orders from... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3338766/minimaxs-hong-kong-ipo-set-hit-us538-million-amid-chinese-ai-sector-frenzy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3338766/minimaxs-hong-kong-ipo-set-hit-us538-million-amid-chinese-ai-sector-frenzy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 08:39:32 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao Chinese generative artificial intelligence start-up MiniMax Group has kicked off its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO), seeking to raise up to HK$4.19 billion (US$538 million) to support its growth as competition intensifies in China’s fast-moving AI sector. The Shanghai-based company would offer 25.39 million shares globally, with about 5 per cent allocated to Hong Kong retail investors and the rest to international investors, according to a stock exchange filing on Wednesday. Shares were... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3338239/china-ai-start-minimax-kicks-us538-million-hong-kong-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3338239/china-ai-start-minimax-kicks-us538-million-hong-kong-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 03:20:16 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese start-ups Zhipu AI and MiniMax have released new flagship artificial intelligence models within hours of each other, as they vie to become the world’s leading open-source AI systems supplier. The near-simultaneous release by two of China’s “AI tigers” underscored efforts to drum up interest for their respective initial public offerings in Hong Kong, after both companies passed crucial regulatory hearings over the weekend. Beijing-based Zhipu AI, known internationally as Z.ai, on Monday... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3337516/chinese-start-ups-zhipu-and-minimax-release-latest-ai-models-ahead-hong-kong-listing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3337516/chinese-start-ups-zhipu-and-minimax-release-latest-ai-models-ahead-hong-kong-listing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 12:00:14 +0000 Ben Jiang,Vincent Chow Ben Jiang,Vincent Chow US start-up OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT on November 30, three years ago, sent China’s technology industry scrambling to get up to speed on the latest artificial intelligence developments. Chinese government authorities sent urgent requests to various experts, including professors from Tsinghua University, to provide briefings on the implications of generative AI technology, according to people with knowledge of the matter. China’s Big Tech firms and ambitious start-ups rushed to roll out their... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3336236/sea-change-china-narrows-ai-gap-us-three-years-after-initial-shock-chatgpt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3336236/sea-change-china-narrows-ai-gap-us-three-years-after-initial-shock-chatgpt?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 15:00:09 +0000 Ann Cao,Ben Jiang Ann Cao,Ben Jiang Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) pose questions about whether computers will be able to match – or even surpass – human ability, and how people will be able to retain control of systems vastly smarter than themselves. The first key tipping point will be the arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI), where machines match human intelligence and possess the ability to perform any intellectual task that a person can do, such as reasoning, learning and adapting across diverse... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336173/china-chases-superintelligent-ai-without-sci-fi-movie-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336173/china-chases-superintelligent-ai-without-sci-fi-movie-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 05:18:32 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang Chinese artificial intelligence start-up MiniMax plans to channel funds from its proposed Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) into research and development as it seeks to compete with global and domestic rivals, according to a person familiar with the matter. With 70 per cent of its revenue generated overseas, MiniMax was targeting Hong Kong’s international investor base and capital market, the person said. The Shanghai-based firm, backed by Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings, was... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3336146/chinas-generative-ai-tiger-minimax-pursues-hong-kong-ipo-expand-global-reach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3336146/chinas-generative-ai-tiger-minimax-pursues-hong-kong-ipo-expand-global-reach?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 03:06:44 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Alibaba Group Holding has slashed charges for its biggest artificial intelligence model by as much as half, triggering speculation of another price war in China’s highly competitive AI market. Qwen3-Max, the first trillion-parameter model from Alibaba Cloud, was one of the company’s most expensive models on its release in September, with tiered pricing that charged a minimum of US$0.861 per million input tokens and US$3.441 per million output tokens for application programming interface (API)... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3332823/alibaba-slashes-qwen3-max-model-charges-50-chinas-ai-price-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3332823/alibaba-slashes-qwen3-max-model-charges-50-chinas-ai-price-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese artificial intelligence firm Moonshot AI continues to develop AI models with fewer high-end graphics processing units (GPUs) than what its US rivals use, according to the Beijing-based start-up’s executives. In a three-hour-long “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit on Monday evening, a Moonshot AI representative with the handle “ppwwyyxx” – the same moniker used by co-founder Wu Yuxin on X – said the company was “outnumbered” by rival US firms in terms of “high-end GPUs” used for AI model... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3332364/chinas-moonshot-claims-build-models-fewer-high-end-ai-chips-us-rivals-use?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3332364/chinas-moonshot-claims-build-models-fewer-high-end-ai-chips-us-rivals-use?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:00:10 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow A popular benchmark for measuring the performance of artificial intelligence models could be flawed, a group of Meta Platforms researchers warned, raising fresh questions on the veracity of evaluations that have been made on major AI systems. “We’ve identified multiple loopholes with SWE-bench Verified,” wrote Jacob Kahn, manager at Meta AI research lab Fair, in a post last week on the developer platform GitHub. The post from Fair, which stands for Fundamental AI Research, found several... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3324735/popular-ai-model-performance-benchmark-may-be-flawed-meta-researchers-warn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3324735/popular-ai-model-performance-benchmark-may-be-flawed-meta-researchers-warn?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 02:00:14 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang China’s leading artificial intelligence start-up, DeepSeek, finds itself at the centre of speculation about the release of its next-generation R2 reasoning model, following OpenAI’s launch of its GPT-5 model last week. DeepSeek – which made waves in the industry with its V3 model in December and the R1 model in January – has not introduced major updates to its products in the past months, aside from two minor revisions. While the market had expected DeepSeek to introduce a new foundation model... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3321855/where-deepseeks-next-ai-model-speculation-rises-after-openai-unveils-gpt-5?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3321855/where-deepseeks-next-ai-model-speculation-rises-after-openai-unveils-gpt-5?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 10:00:23 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese unicorn Z.ai, formerly known as Zhipu AI, has adapted its GLM artificial intelligence models for Huawei Technologies’ semiconductors, bolstering the country’s broad push for technology self-sufficiency. Beijing-based Z.ai said its GLM models were now compatible with Huawei’s Ascend processors, which are used on AI servers, and Kirin chips that run inside smartphones and laptops, according to the start-up’s statement on Saturday. “The tie-up marks a major breakthrough in cloud-device... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3321314/unicorn-zai-adapts-models-huawei-chips-drive-broaden-chinas-ai-ecosystem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3321314/unicorn-zai-adapts-models-huawei-chips-drive-broaden-chinas-ai-ecosystem?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Aug 2025 09:01:14 +0000 Hannah Wang Hannah Wang OpenAI said its analysts found that Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Zhipu AI had made “notable progress” in providing infrastructure solutions to governments and state-owned firms in non-Western markets, as Beijing seeks to strengthen its global leadership in the rapidly evolving technology. In a post on Wednesday, the ChatGPT maker, which has previously urged Washington to support US companies in their competition with Chinese rivals, said Zhipu represented “China’s answer” to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3315911/openai-says-zhipu-ai-accelerates-chinas-global-efforts-challenge-us-tech-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3315911/openai-says-zhipu-ai-accelerates-chinas-global-efforts-challenge-us-tech-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 09:01:07 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang The Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI), a non-profit research laboratory in China, launched on Friday a series of new open-source artificial intelligence (AI) models designed to be the “brain” of robots, as the country rushes to build smarter machines. The use of powerful AI models in China’s booming robotics industry could accelerate the development and adoption of humanoids, as the sector addresses challenges such as limited model capabilities and a lack of training data,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3313372/beijing-academy-unveils-open-source-robobrain-ai-model-chinas-humanoid-robots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3313372/beijing-academy-unveils-open-source-robobrain-ai-model-chinas-humanoid-robots?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 23:00:10 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese start-up Zhipu AI plans to drive international expansion on the back of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, heating up global competition with rival US artificial intelligence (AI) companies. Beijing-based Zhipu AI, which is seeking an initial public offering this October, expects the Belt and Road Initiative – covering infrastructure-related agreements between China and around 150 countries – to help the firm expand its business overseas, according to a company representative on Tuesday,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3310298/chinas-zhipu-eyes-expansion-belt-and-road-initiative-global-ai-market-heats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3310298/chinas-zhipu-eyes-expansion-belt-and-road-initiative-global-ai-market-heats?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 May 2025 11:00:10 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Zhipu AI, a Beijing-based artificial intelligence (AI) unicorn born out of China’s prestigious Tsinghua University, has filed pre-initial public offering (IPO) documents with China’s securities regulator as it eyes a public listing as soon as 2026 amid an increasingly competitive domestic landscape. The 6-year-old company submitted the tutoring documents to the Beijing Securities Regulatory Bureau on Monday, a key compliance step before formally applying to the China Securities Regulatory... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3306558/china-ai-unicorn-zhipu-eyes-ipo-filing-year-after-deepseeks-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3306558/china-ai-unicorn-zhipu-eyes-ipo-filing-year-after-deepseeks-success?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Apr 2025 06:17:37 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese start-up Zhipu AI said it “strongly disagrees” with a US decision to add the company and its subsidiaries to an export blacklist, as the administration of President Joe Biden released a flurry of trade restrictions just days before he leaves office. The US Department of Commerce on Wednesday added 25 China-based companies and two Singapore-based firms to its Entity List, accusing them of supporting Beijing’s military advance. Blacklisted companies are barred from buying technology from... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3295002/tech-war-us-adds-chinese-ai-unicorn-zhipu-trade-blacklist-bidens-exit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3295002/tech-war-us-adds-chinese-ai-unicorn-zhipu-trade-blacklist-bidens-exit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jan 2025 07:30:07 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang China’s artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Zhipu AI said on Tuesday that it has raised 3 billion yuan (US$412 million) in a new funding round, beefing up the firm’s war chest as it braces for stiffer competition in the market. The new financing adds to a funding spree that has seen Zhipu secure four investment rounds so far this year from a long list of marquee backers, from state-backed investment vehicles to Big Tech firms such as Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings, as well as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3291201/chinese-start-zhipu-ai-raises-us412-million-new-funding-amid-crowded-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3291201/chinese-start-zhipu-ai-raises-us412-million-new-funding-amid-crowded-market?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:00:16 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Zhipu AI, one of China’s top generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) start-ups, has announced the initial closing of its venture capital vehicle, which aims to invest in related start-ups to strengthen the company’s ecosystem, borrowing a page from ChatGPT owner OpenAI. The Zhipu Ecosystem Fund, also known as the Z Fund, raised 1.5 billion yuan (US$211 million) from its parent and a group of state-backed and private entities, according to a statement published Friday on its official WeChat... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3285426/zhipu-one-chinas-ai-tigers-raises-us210-million-venture-capital-fund?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3285426/zhipu-one-chinas-ai-tigers-raises-us210-million-venture-capital-fund?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Nov 2024 10:00:49 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Zhipu AI is experimenting with a tool designed to complete tasks on behalf of smartphone users based on their voice commands, demonstrating a future where our digital lives are automated. AutoGLM, an AI agent app, is able to understand relatively complex voice commands, such as “repeat my recent cereal order from shopping history”, or “order a latte from the nearest cafe”, according to the Beijing-based firm. The tool can then plan out the steps... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3284343/chinas-zhipu-ai-says-its-app-can-operate-your-smartphone-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3284343/chinas-zhipu-ai-says-its-app-can-operate-your-smartphone-you?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Oct 2024 01:00:12 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Beijing-based Zhipu AI, one of China’s four artificial intelligence (AI) “tigers”, has raised an undisclosed amount in a new funding round – led by a state-backed investor, which put the start-up’s value at around 20 billion yuan (US$2.8 billion). Proceeds from Zhipu AI’s latest financing round – estimated to be worth “billions of yuan”, according to a report on Thursday by local media outlet 36Kr – will be used to “support technological innovation and ecosystem buildout” for its large language... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3277324/chinese-unicorn-zhipu-raises-new-funding-state-backed-investor-amid-mainland-ai-boom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3277324/chinese-unicorn-zhipu-raises-new-funding-state-backed-investor-amid-mainland-ai-boom?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Sep 2024 09:00:07 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang One of China’s four artificial intelligence (AI) “tigers” has joined the price war on large language model (LLM) services in the country, heating up competition in a market segment where the prominent players are the mainland’s Big Tech companies. Zhipu AI, formally known as Beijing Zhipu Huazhang Technology, on Wednesday announced at an event in the nation’s capital that its GLM series of LLMs – the technology behind ChatGPT and other generative AI (GenAI) services – will now cost as little as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3265511/tech-unicorn-zhipu-ai-joins-chinas-llm-price-war-amid-new-funding-round?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3265511/tech-unicorn-zhipu-ai-joins-chinas-llm-price-war-amid-new-funding-round?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jun 2024 12:00:16 +0000 Kelly Le Kelly Le Zhipu AI, one of China’s top emerging generative artificial intelligence (AI) start-ups, plans to release its answer to OpenAI’s text-to-video service Sora as early as this year, according to a Chinese media report. Known formally as Beijing Zhipu Huazhang Technology, the unicorn started to develop its own text-to-video large language model (LLM) before OpenAI revealed video clips made by Sora in February, according to a report from TMTPost on Monday. Zhipu AI is expecting an explosion of LLMs... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3261770/chinese-unicorn-zhipu-ai-launch-sora-rival-early-2024-amid-local-race-catch-openai-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3261770/chinese-unicorn-zhipu-ai-launch-sora-rival-early-2024-amid-local-race-catch-openai-report?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 May 2024 01:00:48 +0000