Topic

AI

In-depth analysis of China’s AI industry, covering artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, robotics, AI chips, and large language models. This section tracks policy shifts, commercialization progress, and competitive dynamics shaping China’s rapidly evolving AI ecosystem.

Zhipu’s GLM-5.3 Shows Why Better AI Models No Longer Move the Market

As Chinese AI labs iterate flagship models every two months, the era of benchmark-driven hype is giving way to a harder question: who can turn capability into recurring revenue? What Is This About? In August 2026, Zhipu AI released GLM-5.3, its latest flagship large language model. By

China’s AI Office War Moves Beyond Chatbots as Doubao Takes Aim at Tencent WorkBuddy

China’s AI competition is moving into a new phase. After two years dominated by foundation models, benchmark rankings and consumer chatbots, ByteDance and Tencent are increasingly competing over a more commercially consequential layer: which AI system becomes the default interface through which people actually work. ByteDance is preparing a

Alibaba’s HK$80B AI Raise Redefines China Tech’s Investment Thesis

When Alibaba Group Holding launched Hong Kong's largest-ever primary follow-on equity offering on August 23 — raising HK$80 billion (approximately US$10.2 billion) earmarked exclusively for full-stack artificial intelligence infrastructure — the transaction did more than set a new market record. It crystallized a fundamental

ChinaBiz Briefing | Alibaba's AI Inflection, Pop Mart's Hangover, NetEase's Earnings Split

China's earnings season is delivering a consistent signal: AI investment is reshaping capital allocation across every major sector, while consumer-facing businesses face a harder reckoning with post-hype normalization. From Alibaba's cloud acceleration to Pop Mart's inventory overhang, the week's results

China’s AI Spending Race: How Big Tech Is Turning Capex Into New Revenue

A structural guide to understanding how Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, JD.com, and Kuaishou are deploying capital in the AI era What Is This About? In mid-2026, five of China's largest internet companies — Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, JD.com, and Kuaishou — reported earnings covering the same three-month window:

Wall Street Declares Alibaba's Earnings Inflection Point Arrived as Cloud AI Growth Accelerates Toward 50%

Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, UBS and Jefferies converge on a rare unanimous verdict: Alibaba has crossed a fundamental earnings inflection point, with cloud AI revenue growth set to breach 50% in the September quarter even as a surface-level earnings miss obscures underlying operating strength. The consensus emerged on August 21,

Alibaba and Tencent Pour RMB 120B in a Single Quarter Into AI as China's Infrastructure Race Escalates

Combined capital expenditure of China's two largest internet groups surpasses RMB 120 billion (US$16.7 billion) in a single quarter, with free cash flow turning deeply negative — signaling a structural shift in how Big Tech allocates capital and rewards shareholders. The numbers from China's latest

Alibaba Trades Profit for AI Dominance as Cloud Growth Hits 22-Quarter High

Alibaba Group posted fiscal first-quarter revenue that narrowly topped estimates, but the headline beat obscures a deliberate and accelerating pivot: the Chinese e-commerce and cloud giant is systematically sacrificing near-term profitability to cement a full-stack AI infrastructure lead. Revenue for the three months ended June 30,

ChinaBiz Briefing | Tencent's AI Bet, Tesla's Doubao Switch, Unitree IPO Whiplash, RISC-V Milestones

China's technology sector delivered a dense set of signals on August 20 that collectively point to one underlying theme: the race to convert AI capability into durable commercial infrastructure is accelerating — and the costs of falling behind are becoming quantifiable. Tencent spent RMB 52.8 billion in a

Tencent's AI Pivot: What the "Midway Moment" Thesis Really Means

Why a surge in capital spending—not a product launch—may signal the most consequential shift in China's AI race What Is the "Midway Moment" Thesis? In mid-2026, Bank of America Merrill Lynch described Tencent's accelerating AI investment as its "Battle of

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