Odaily Planet Daily report: The artificial intelligence venture capital market has recently seen increased momentum. In May, Chinese large models such as Moonshot AI and Jiepao Stars secured over RMB 30 billion in funding. Embodied AI has also attracted market attention, with companies like Weita Power and Luming Robotics securing hundreds of millions of yuan in funding within a single week.
According to venture capital statistics, there were nearly 600 funding rounds in the artificial intelligence sector in the first quarter, totaling over 110 billion yuan—a year-over-year surge of 185.4%. After securing funding, many AI startups have directed their investments toward three key areas.
First, research and development: Leading large model companies are investing billions of dollars annually in R&D, far exceeding their current revenue. Second, computing power: GPU purchases and cloud service rentals account for 30% to 50% of funding raised. Third, attracting top global talent and teams. Greater R&D investment leads to faster technological iteration. By 2026, Chinese large model companies had generally shortened their iteration cycles to under three months, significantly reducing AI inference costs and accelerating commercialization. (CCTV Finance) (Jinshi)