Shares of China’s generative AI startups Zhipu and MiniMax soared in Hong Kong as the market reopened after the Lunar New Year, with investors piling into pure AI plays and rotating out of traditional Internet giants https://t.co/sU9uFYBASC ...

Chinese AI model developer Zhipu is planning a second listing in Shanghai following its recent $558 million IPO in Hong Kong https://t.co/KfHumNyXw5 ...

Shares of Chinese AI model developer Zhipu have more than doubled this week, underscoring investor appetite for the country’s emerging generative-AI firms even as established players elsewhere face a valuation reset https://t.co/fyciDWBhhe ...

Shares of Chinese AI model developer Zhipu have more than doubled this week, underscoring investor appetite for the country’s emerging generative-AI firms even as established players elsewhere face a valuation reset. The Hong Kong-listed stock surged as much as 22% on Friday to a record HK$492, taking gains this week to around 120%. Peer Minimax Group Inc. also advanced around 40% over the same period, while the broader Hang Seng Tech Index remained little changed. Most Read from Bloomberg Momentum has ...

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the competitive landscape of the AI industry, particularly focusing on the advancements in China and the potential implications for the US market, emphasizing that while US companies like Nvidia and OpenAI assert there is no AI bubble, the dynamics in China could challenge this perspective [2]. Group 1: AI Developments in China - China's AI industry is gearing up for significant developments, with reports of new models emerging that could rival US technologies, such as Alibaba's Qwen-3.5 and Zhipu's GLM-5 [4]. - DeepSeek's AI models were developed at a fraction of the cost compared to US leaders, indicating a potential competitive advantage for Chinese firms [3]. - The pace of AI model releases in China may accelerate, suggesting a shift in the competitive landscape [4]. Group 2: Chip Technology and Infrastructure - Nvidia's Blackwell chips are considered state-of-the-art, with rumors suggesting that some may have been made available to Chinese companies, potentially impacting the competitive balance [5]. - China may have access to Nvidia's H200 chip, but the future of this access is uncertain due to the ongoing US-China trade tensions [5]. - China's electricity capacity is double that of the US, which could provide a significant advantage for AI data centers, especially as energy infrastructure becomes a critical factor in AI development [6].

AI developer Zhipu is set to release an upgrade of its flagship model https://t.co/1ASobR4kPX ...

Core Insights - Moonshot AI, backed by Alibaba Group, has released an upgraded model named K2.5, intensifying competition in the Chinese AI market ahead of a major release by DeepSeek [1][2] - The K2.5 model can process text, images, and videos simultaneously, aligning with the trend of omni models led by companies like OpenAI and Google [1] - Moonshot recently raised $500 million at a post-money valuation of $4.3 billion and is seeking to increase its valuation to as much as $5 billion through new financing rounds [3] Company Developments - Moonshot AI is among the leading players in the competitive landscape of Chinese large language model makers, which has been referred to as the "War of One Hundred Models" [4] - The company is working to enhance its commercial offerings, including tiered subscription plans for its chatbot and technology for enterprise clients, although it currently lags behind competitors like Zhipu and MiniMax in commercialization [6] - The K2.5 model has shown superior performance in benchmark tests compared to open-source models and is closing the gap with top-tier proprietary models [5] Market Context - Recent IPOs by Chinese AI companies Zhipu and MiniMax collectively raised over $1 billion, indicating strong investor interest in the sector [4] - Zhipu has launched an image generation model, GLM-Image, which is claimed to be the first fully trained on domestic chips, while Alibaba has introduced a reasoning version of its model, Qwen3-Max [5]

Core Insights - China's artificial intelligence (AI) models are reportedly only "a matter of months" behind U.S. and Western capabilities, according to Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, challenging previous assumptions of a significant gap [3][4] - Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has demonstrated strong performance with models built on less advanced chips, indicating that Chinese companies are making notable advancements in AI technology [5] - Despite progress, there are concerns regarding China's ability to innovate beyond existing technologies, with Hassabis emphasizing the difficulty of achieving frontier breakthroughs [6][8] AI Development in China - Chinese tech giants like Alibaba and startups such as Moonshot AI and Zhipu have released competitive AI models, contributing to the perception of China's rapid advancement in the field [5] - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged that while the U.S. leads in chip technology, China is making significant strides in AI models and infrastructure [9] Challenges Facing Chinese AI Firms - Access to critical technology, particularly advanced semiconductors from Nvidia, poses a significant challenge for Chinese technology firms, which could widen the gap between U.S. and Chinese AI capabilities over time [10][11] - Analysts predict that the lack of access to cutting-edge Nvidia chips may lead to a divergence in AI model capabilities, with U.S. infrastructure continuing to iterate and improve [12] Perspectives on Innovation - Alibaba's Qwen team technical lead, Lin Junyang, expressed skepticism about Chinese firms surpassing U.S. tech giants in AI within the next three to five years, citing a substantial difference in computing infrastructure [15] - Hassabis attributes the lack of groundbreaking innovations in China to a "mentality" issue rather than solely technological restrictions, comparing the need for exploratory innovation to the historical achievements of Bell Labs [16][17]

Summary of Key Points from the Conference Call Industry Overview - The focus is on the **AI industry** in **China** and its comparison with the **US AI market**. - The valuation of AI in the US has increased by approximately **US$8 trillion** (42%) since July 2024, while China's AI valuation has risen by about **US$732 billion** (88%) since January 2025, indicating significant growth in both markets [1][2][58]. Core Insights and Arguments - **Valuation Comparison**: - The US AI market is currently valued at **26x** 2026E PE, while China's AI market is trading at approximately **24x** 2026E PE, with an implied **253x** incremental PE for China, significantly higher than the US [2][58]. - The market cap of China's AI basket is only **8%** of the US, despite having a capital expenditure (capex) ratio of **18%** [1][2][61]. - **Performance Gap**: - The performance gap between China's AI models and the best US models has narrowed to **6%**, down from **8%** in November 2025, largely due to advancements in Zhipu's GLM 4.7 [4][40][101]. - **Government Support**: - A new supportive AI policy from the Chinese government aims to deploy multiple general LLMs in manufacturing and develop a significant number of industrial datasets and benchmark use cases, which is expected to boost the AI sector [5][61]. - **Market Dynamics**: - China's AI basket is primarily driven by **CSPs** (65% of market cap) and **SPE** (8%), while the US market is dominated by CSPs (46%) and IC design (26%) [3][58]. - Chinese CSPs, AI applications, and IDCs are trading at a discount compared to their US counterparts, while IC design, foundries, and SPE stocks in China are trading at a premium [3][30][31]. Additional Important Insights - **Investment Opportunities**: - The report highlights potential investment opportunities in companies like **VNET**, **GDS**, and **Kingdee**, which are expected to benefit from the positive market dynamics in China [3]. - **Market Growth**: - The Chinese AI market is expected to see further upside due to its early stage of development and the anticipated increase in AI-related IPOs [61][62]. - **Model Performance**: - In the fourth quarter of 2025, Chinese flagship LLMs improved faster than most US peers, indicating a competitive edge in AI model development [96][98]. - **Acquisition Trends**: - The acquisition of **Manus** by Meta for over **US$2 billion** marks a significant event, being the first acquisition of a Chinese AI startup by a US tech giant, which could influence future investment and collaboration trends [110]. - **Leading AI Applications**: - **Doubao** remains the largest LLM app in China, with a monthly active user (MAU) count of **163 million**, followed by **Quark** at **148 million**. The rapid growth of DeepSeek's MAU to **131 million** reflects the increasing adoption of AI applications [111][113]. This summary encapsulates the key points from the conference call, highlighting the growth, valuation, and competitive landscape of the AI industry in China compared to the US.

Core Insights - Two of China's largest generative AI startups, Zhipu and MiniMax, are debuting in Hong Kong, testing investor appetite for the AI industry post-ChatGPT [1][2] - Zhipu and MiniMax have different approaches to the public markets, with Zhipu being more traditional and government-backed, while MiniMax operates like a Silicon Valley startup [2][3] Company Overview - Zhipu, founded by professors from Tsinghua University, has a strong focus on serving domestic institutions and has over 8,000 institutional clients [3][4] - MiniMax, a younger startup, aims to compete with DeepSeek and OpenAI by offering consumer chatbots, supported by Alibaba and Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund [3][4] Financial Performance - In 2024, Zhipu recorded revenue of 312.4 million yuan ($44.7 million), surpassing MiniMax's revenue of $30.5 million [5] - Both companies' revenues are significantly lower than industry leaders OpenAI and Anthropic, which have estimated revenues of $13 billion and $9 billion, respectively [5] Market Context - The listings of Zhipu and MiniMax reflect a policy-driven capital cycle in China, with increased investment in indigenous semiconductor and AI supply chains [5] - There is strong investor interest in AI, as indicated by recent share-price gains in GPU and AI listings across A-share and Hong Kong markets [5]