Group 1 - StepFun, an AI company, has completed a record-breaking B+ round financing of over 5 billion RMB, marking the highest single financing in the large model sector in the past 12 months [2][3] - The company was founded in 2023 by former Microsoft global vice president Jiang Daxin and is part of a group known as the "six small tigers" in the large model industry [3] - StepFun focuses on pre-training and exploring higher intelligence limits of foundational models, offering a comprehensive model matrix [3] Group 2 - The company has developed a GUI open-source model that can run on mobile phones, cars, and computers, set to be released in December 2025 [3] - StepFun's commercialization strategy includes partnerships with major smartphone manufacturers like OPPO, Honor, and ZTE, with over 42 million installations of its models [3] - The company has also collaborated with Qianli Technology to launch an intelligent cockpit featuring an end-to-end voice model, which is already integrated into the Geely Galaxy M9 production vehicle [3] Group 3 - Yin Qi, a prominent entrepreneur from the 80s, has been appointed as the chairman of StepFun, indicating a strategic shift towards deeper integration of AI with hardware [2][3][7] - Yin Qi co-founded Megvii Technology and has a background in smart sensors, believing in the necessity of hardware for delivering effective AI solutions [6][7] - His role at StepFun signifies the company's commitment to advancing its "AI and terminal deep integration" strategy [7] Group 4 - Yin Qi is also the chairman of Qianli Technology, which has undergone a transformation from its previous identity as Lifan Technology, focusing on smart driving and intelligent cockpit solutions [8][9] - The collaboration between StepFun and Qianli Technology aims to expedite the integration of AI into vehicles, with StepFun developing the AI "brain" and Qianli Technology handling the physical implementation [9]