The Beijing-based firm, also referred to as GigaAI, is nearing the completion of a funding round that values the company at $3 billion as it moves closer to going public, according to founder and CEO Huang Guan.
This funding would position GigaAI as the leading startup in China focusing on world models, a term for systems designed to enhance AI’s ability to represent and forecast the movement of people and objects, Guan noted.
“On a global scale, we’ll be the first to go public among startups in the world model space,” said Guan, who previously worked with Microsoft Research and Horizon Robotics, during an interview with Bloomberg News at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. He refrained from disclosing if the company has secured investment bankers for the listing.
An increasing number of startups in China, such as DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, and 01.ai, are getting ready to access the public markets as they strive to catch up with top developers in the US and expand product adoption. Competing American companies like Anthropic PBC and OpenAI are also planning their own Wall Street entries.
Established in 2023, GigaAI specializes in world models, which provide an alternative methodology for AI beneficial in robotics, video games, and self-driving vehicles, among other applications. Significant funding has already flowed to Western world model startups, including those founded by AI luminaries Fei-Fei Li and Yann LeCun.
Sitting on a couch at GigaAI’s booth during the conference, Guan stated that his startup began its technology development prior to Li and LeCun and emphasized that China is ideally situated to take a lead in world models and the physical application of AI. Furthermore, Beijing has identified embodied AI and humanoid robotics as national priorities.
“We have a variety of commercial and industrial applications that aren’t replicated in the US or elsewhere,” he remarked. “China’s mature and extensive industrial base is significantly ahead of the rest of the world.”
Chinese startups such as GigaAI have adopted a strategy of rapid development close to the factory floor. The company’s offerings include models for autonomous driving and humanoid robots. “We transition rapidly from research to engineering to product and then to business, generating value for our clients,” Guan mentioned.
GigaAI’s clientele includes state-owned automaker China FAW Group Corp., e-commerce giant JD.com Inc., and postal service provider EMS. Guan indicated that the startup secured several funding tranches in the first half of the year.
