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Chinese firm behind AI agent Manus relocates to Singapore amid US chip curbs

Manus AI has begun recruiting in the city state, offering positions such as data analyst and AI agent engineer

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Chinese start-up Manus AI has moved its global headquarters to Singapore. Photo: Shutterstock
The team behind Chinese general-purpose artificial intelligence (AI) agent Manus has relocated its headquarters to Singapore, stoking speculation that the move was aimed at facilitating easier access to Nvidia chips amid US export controls to China.

“This company right now is headquartered in Singapore,” Manus AI co-founder and chief product officer Zhang Tao revealed during a keynote session at the SuperAI conference in Singapore on June 18. He added that the firm also had offices in Tokyo and California.

The “About Us” section on Manus’ website also lists its global headquarters as Singapore.

Manus, developed in China by start-up Butterfly Effect, has captured significant attention within the global AI community since its invite-only launch in early March. The AI agent’s ability to handle complex tasks has positioned it as a leading symbol of AI innovation in China, following the success of DeepSeek.

Manus AI has been compared to another leading Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek. Photo: Handout
Manus AI has been compared to another leading Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek. Photo: Handout

Manus AI said in a statement that its relocation to Singapore was not about access to chips as it was not developing large language models and was not in need of Nvidia’s advanced chips.

But like many Chinese tech firms, the Chinese ties of Manus have also come under scrutiny in Washington.

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