China's so-called 'AI tiger' start-ups MiniMax and Zhipu AI had strong debuts on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange this week, reflecting growing confidence in the sector as Beijing fast-tracks AI and chip listings to bolster domestic alternatives to advanced US technology. The main bottlenecks are production capacity, including lithography machines, and the software ecosystem," Yao said at an AI conference in Beijing. China has completed a working prototype of an extreme-ultraviolet lithography machine potentially capable of producing cutting-edge semiconductor chips that rival the West's, Reuters reported last month. Lin said China's limited resources have spurred its researchers to be innovative, particularly through algorithm-hardware co-design, which enables AI firms to run large models on smaller, inexpensive hardware. Tang Jie, founder of Zhipu AI which raised HK$4.35 billion (RM2.3 billion) in its IPO, also highlighted the willingness of younger Chinese AI entrepreneurs to embrace high-risk ventures — a trait traditionally associated with Silicon Valley — as a positive development.

Source: The Edge Markets January 11, 2026 01:22 UTC