Saudi Aramco's venture capital arm, Prosperity7, has recently participated in a new round of investment in ZhiPu AI, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, with an investment amount reaching up to $400 million. This move not only highlights the Saudi capital's emphasis on China's AI market but also provides a new opportunity for ZhiPu AI's global layout.
ZhiPu AI: The Rising Star in China's AI Market
As one of the largest generative AI startups in China, ZhiPu AI's valuation has reached approximately $3 billion. The company has more than 800 employees and has previously received investments from well-known companies such as Alibaba Cloud, Tencent, and Meituan, as well as support from state-owned investors like the National Social Security Fund.
ZhiPu AI focuses on the development of intelligent general models, developing a bilingual hundred billion-level ultra-large-scale pre-trained model GLM-130B, and based on this model, it has created ChatGLM. The company's founder, Tang Jie, made a brilliant appearance at the Beijing Investment Forum hosted by Prosperity7, and the sword dance performance by humanoid robots also demonstrated the company's profound strength in the field of AI.
ZhiPu AI: A Strong Contender for the First Major Model Stock in China
Analysts point out that ZhiPu AI is very likely to become the first major model stock in China. The company leads other competitors in three aspects: commercialization speed, computing power resources, and ecosystem construction. Prosperity7's investment undoubtedly injects new vitality into the future development of ZhiPu AI.
China-Saudi Cooperation: A New Chapter in the Field of Science and Technology
With the increasingly close cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia, Middle Eastern capital is accelerating its entry into the Chinese market. Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Chinese technology companies is continuously deepening, and both parties are seeking new capital and market opportunities.
Prosperity7's investment is part of the broader cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Chinese technology companies. In addition to ZhiPu AI, three other Chinese AI startups - Moon's Dark Side, MiniMax, and Zero One - also mainly rely on support from government funds and large domestic cloud service providers.
Technology consultants point out that due to the absence of American funds, the importance of Saudi Arabia to China's technology ecosystem is becoming increasingly prominent. Lenovo has signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Alat, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund PIF, and Lenovo will build a manufacturing factory in Saudi Arabia. Companies such as SenseTime, Tencent Cloud, and Meituan are also actively expanding their business in Saudi Arabia.
Conclusion
Saudi Aramco's Prosperity7 Fund's investment in ZhiPu AI is not only a trust in China's AI market but also an affirmation of ZhiPu AI's future development. With the continuous deepening of China-Saudi cooperation, we have reason to believe that ZhiPu AI will occupy an important position in the global AI field and contribute to the progress of science and technology in China and the world.
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