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Yan Junjie

The latest news and top stories on Yan Junjie. As CEO of MiniMax, an AI unicorn he founded in December 2021, Yan Junjie leads the development of advanced AI foundational and multimodal models. With over a decade in AI research and development, including a background as a former Vice President at SenseTime, his expertise lies in deep learning and AI infrastructure. Under his leadership, MiniMax has launched successful products like the AI companion app Talkie and the video generator Hailuo AI, attracting significant investment and achieving a valuation exceeding $4 billion. His vision focuses on making "Intelligence with Everyone" a reality.

Even as model sizes balloon, Chinese AI firms continue to compete aggressively on price rather than relying solely on performance premiums. Photo: Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence

Zhipu, DeepSeek push China’s trillion-parameter AI frontier amid US clampdown

China’s AI developers deepen push into massive foundation models, backed by lower costs and investor momentum despite US restrictions.

19 Jun 2026 - 2:00PM

IPO

As Musk becomes first trillionaire from SpaceX IPO, will next come from China?

12 Jun 2026 - 7:39PM

Artificial intelligence

Could the AI ‘self-evolution’ trend add fuel to the China-US tech war?

12 Jun 2026 - 9:23AMvideocam

Artificial intelligence

MiniMax debuts AI model built for long and complex coding tasks

Shanghai-based company says M3 can process data five times faster than its predecessor, while also slashing inference costs.

1 Jun 2026 - 3:10PM

MiniMax says AI model M3 has increased response speed and lowered inference costs. Photo: Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence

China’s MiniMax records 1-million client base, fivefold growth in half a year

Its global user base reaches 300 million while ARR more than doubles in two months, though company reports large total losses.

28 May 2026 - 5:07PM

Artificial intelligence

China’s Li Qiang hosts Moonshot AI chief, urges faster industrial AI roll-out

Beijing signals stronger push to embed AI in manufacturing as premier meets rising start-up founders and industry leaders.

10 Apr 2026 - 11:30PM

Artificial intelligence

What Zhipu and MiniMax’s first post-IPO earnings say about the 2 AI start-ups

The two Chinese start-ups show promising commercialisation of AI models, which are reflected in rising demand and revenue.

2 Apr 2026 - 10:00AM

Chinese AI start-ups Zhipu AI and MiniMax have shown early signs of sustainable commercialisation of their AI models. Photo: Xinhua

Artificial intelligence

China’s MiniMax releases AI model ‘designed for real-world productivity’

Company says it is ‘first frontier model … delivering on the promise of intelligence too cheap to meter’.

13 Feb 2026 - 6:41PM

Artificial intelligence

China signals global AI push as MiniMax CEO joins meeting with Premier Li Qiang

Last January, DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng met the Chinese premier in the same setting following the start-up’s rapid rise to prominence.

20 Jan 2026 - 2:17PM

Artificial intelligence

MiniMax and Zhipu’s stellar Hong Kong IPOs supercharge China’s AI ambitions

Zhipu’s coding assistant is wooing subscribers with a monthly fee of about US$3, a fraction of what Anthropic charges for Claude.

9 Jan 2026 - 5:00PM

MiniMax became a darling of investors with its gain of 80 per cent when the stock debuted on Friday. Photo: Shutterstock Images

IPO

Chinese AI start-up MiniMax shines on Hong Kong IPO debut

The shares jump as much as 113.2 per cent to HK$351.80 before ending the day 109.1 per cent higher at HK$345.

9 Jan 2026 - 5:07PM

Executives of MiniMax Group, Suzhou Ribo Life Science, Yunnan Jinxun Resources and HKEX at the IPO listing ceremony on Friday. Photo: Jonathan Wong

IPO

MiniMax’s Hong Kong IPO set to hit US$538 million amid Chinese AI sector frenzy

The Alibaba-backed firm is set to price its 25.4 million shares at HK$165 each, the top end of its marketed range, sources say.

5 Jan 2026 - 4:39PM

IPO

China AI start-up MiniMax kicks off US$538 million Hong Kong IPO

Start of Shanghai-based company’s share sale follows launch of rival Zhipu’s US$560 million IPO a day earlier.

31 Dec 2025 - 11:20AM

Artificial intelligence

China’s Zhipu and MiniMax release latest AI models ahead of Hong Kong listing

The near-simultaneous release on Monday underscores the two firms’ efforts to drum up interest for their respective Hong Kong IPOs.

23 Dec 2025 - 8:00PM

Zhipu AI, known internationally as Z.ai, says its new GLM-4.7 model features improved coding abilities. Photo: Shutterstock

Ant Group

China fintech giant Ant upgrades AI health app to tap eldercare, wellness demand

App AQ integrates Apple and Huawei devices, adds family health profiles and smart reminders to boost user engagement.

16 Dec 2025 - 8:00AM

Ant Group’s AI health app AQ has accumulated 15 million monthly active users since its launch in June 2025. Photo: Handout

IPO

China’s generative AI tiger MiniMax pursues Hong Kong IPO to expand global reach

Hong Kong equity market offers platform for mainland Chinese AI firms seeking international investors amid intensifying domestic competition.

15 Dec 2025 - 1:29PM

Artificial intelligence

Beyond DeepSeek: Moonshot and MiniMax step up as China’s new frontier AI labs

DeepSeek might be grabbing the headlines, but Chinese start-ups Moonshot AI and MiniMax are emerging as serious rivals to US frontier labs.

7 Jan 2026 - 12:31PM

Artificial intelligence

Ant Group picks AI-assisted healthcare as growth area in ageing China

The elevation of the business marks one of Ant’s most significant pivots since its cancelled IPO five years ago.

7 Nov 2025 - 6:00PM

Ant Group’s AI-powered AQ app, which offers doctor recommendations and healthcare guidance, had served 140 million users as of September, the company said. Photo: Handout

United States

Pop Mart targets mobile phones with mini Labubus as it aims to double sales

Pop Mart can easily double its 2025 sales to US$4.2 billion, as the company is poised to launch a mini version of its Labubu dolls next week, CEO says.

22 Aug 2025 - 8:44PMvideocam

Artificial intelligence

Shanghai expo sets stage for US-China face-off in heated AI race

Business leaders who will speak at the main forum include former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, MiniMax founder Yan Junjie and SenseTime CEO Xu Li.

25 Jul 2025 - 6:00PM

IPO

MiniMax, the ‘world-class’ AI start-up lauded by Nvidia’s Huang, plans IPO

MiniMax aimed to raise between HK$4 billion and HK$5 billion, but its deal size and valuation could change depending on market conditions, Reuters said.

16 Jul 2025 - 9:18PM

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