Chinese AI Startups Shine in Hong Kong Debuts as Chip Shortage Looms
MiniMax and Zhipu AI made strong debuts on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange this week, signaling investor confidence in China's push to develop homegrown alternatives to advanced U.S. technology. Beijing's fast-tracking of AI and semiconductor listings reflects strategic priorities in the tech race.
Yao Shunyu, Tencent's chief AI scientist and former OpenAI researcher, predicts a Chinese firm could lead global AI within 3-5 years. "We have significant advantages in electricity and infrastructure," Yao told a Beijing conference, while identifying lithography machines and software ecosystems as critical bottlenecks.
China recently completed a prototype extreme-ultraviolet lithography machine, though industry sources suggest it won't produce viable chips until 2030. Conference participants acknowledged the U.S. maintains a computing power edge due to sustained infrastructure investments.
