Zhipu AI Secures $137 Million Amidst U.S. Trade Restrictions

Chinese AI startup Zhipu AI has raised $137 million in a new funding round, despite being on a U.S. trade blacklist. The funds will enhance its GLM large language model and expand its AI ecosystem.

Chinese artificial intelligence startup Zhipu AI has raised over 1 billion yuan ($137 million) in a fresh funding round, . This comes despite the company being on a U.S. trade blacklist, which restricts its access to American technology.

The funding round saw participation from state-backed investors such as Hangzhou City Investment Group Industrial Fund and Shangcheng Capital. Zhipu AI plans to use the funds to enhance its GLM large language model and expand its AI ecosystem, focusing on businesses in Zhejiang province and the Yangtze River Delta economic zone.

Zhipu AI, founded in 2019, has been actively developing open-source AI models. The company announced plans to release a suite of new AI models under an open-source framework, aligning with other Chinese firms like Alibaba and Tencent in embracing open-source AI. Despite the U.S. sanctions, Zhipu AI's latest funding round reflects a strong investor confidence in the potential of Chinese AI startups.

We hope you enjoyed this article.

Consider subscribing to one of several newsletters we publish like AI Funding Brief.

Also, consider following us on social media:

AI Funding News
AI Brief (X)

More from: Funding

Subscribe to AI Funding Brief

AI Token Webinar

Whitepaper

Stanford HAI’s 2025 AI Index Reveals Record Growth in AI Capabilities, Investment, and Regulation

The 2025 AI Index by Stanford HAI provides a comprehensive overview of the global state of artificial intelligence, highlighting significant advancements in AI capabilities, investment, and regulation. The report details improvements in AI performance, increased adoption in various sectors, and the growing global optimism towards AI, despite ongoing challenges in reasoning and trust. It serves as a critical resource for policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders to understand AI's rapid evolution and its implications.

Read more

You May Also Like