Tencent Holdings Ltd. is preparing a significant strategic push in the artificial intelligence sector, planning to release the third version of its "mixed-element" large model in April to challenge established players like OpenAI. The move is part of a broader reorganization to be completed by the end of 2025, aimed at sharpening the company's focus on AI, international growth, and localization.
"Whenever a hotspot emerges, a large number of participants will appear, from the previous 'hundred model battle' to the current 'hundred shrimp battle', which is an inevitable stage of industry development," Li Qiang, Tencent Group Vice President, said in a report by The Paper. He stated that the market will eventually concentrate on leading companies with strong technical capabilities and continuous capital investment.
The new AI initiatives will be spearheaded by a former senior researcher from OpenAI, who will lead the mixed-element large model team. The upcoming version 3.0 of the model is expected to deliver a "comprehensive upgrade in model capabilities," though specific performance benchmarks have not yet been disclosed. The restructuring will establish new AI teams, infrastructure teams, and a data computing platform department to support the AI deployment.
This strategic shift underscores Tencent's ambition to secure a top-tier position in the competitive AI landscape. Li Qiang highlighted that the advantage for domestic AI firms lies in "ultimate cost-effectiveness," a strategy that has proven successful for Chinese manufacturing. Tencent aims to replicate this success in cloud services, with the European market already becoming a key growth area for Tencent Cloud's international business.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
