SiliconFlow raises $294 million as China’s AI inference demand surges
Chinese AI model inference startup SiliconFlow has raised more than 2 billion yuan ($294 million) in a Series B funding round backed by corporate heavyweights including Trip.com Group Ltd. and SenseTime Group Inc. The financing marks the company’s fifth funding round since its inception in August 2023, and reflects growing investor appetite for middle-layer infrastructure providers as explosive enterprise demand for AI agents strains computing resources and overloads model APIs across the industry.
Ant revamps Alipay with AI assistant in biggest app overhaul
Ant Group Co. Ltd. has unveiled a major redesign of its Alipay app, adding a conversational AI assistant aimed at simplifying navigation in what the company describes as the platform’s biggest overhaul to date. The AI-enabled version of Alipay began invite-only beta testing Tuesday. Its interface is organized around two main sections: an AI assistant called Abao and a separate Assets page. Users can issue voice or text commands to access more than 10,000 services on Alipay, a response to long-running complaints that the app has become cluttered and difficult to navigate.
Alibaba unveils Qwen-Robot AI models
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. released its Qwen-Robot series of embodied artificial intelligence models on Tuesday. The rollout includes three major models: Qwen-RobotManip for manipulation, Qwen-RobotNav for navigation and Qwen-RobotWorld as a world model. The suite can be deployed independently or collaboratively, providing a foundation for real-world applications across various robot forms.
Didi leads Pre-A funding in robotics startup Simple AI
Embodied artificial intelligence startup Simple AI completed a Pre-A funding round worth hundreds of millions of yuan on Tuesday. The round was led by ride-hailing giant Didi Global Inc., with participation from Plum Ventures and Keli Sensing, alongside existing backers Cyber Creation Ventures, Linear Capital and Puhua Capital. This marks the company’s fourth funding round within a year.
