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Analysis of Zhipu AI's HKEX Listing Performance and Commercialization Prospects of Large Models

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January 13, 2026

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Analysis of Zhipu AI's HKEX Listing Performance and Commercialization Prospects of Large Models

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Based on the latest market data, Jinling AI provides you with a professional analysis of Zhipu AI’s listing performance and the commercialization prospects of large models:


I. Zhipu AI’s First-Day Listing Performance
1.1 Overview of Basic Data

Zhipu AI (Stock Code: 02513.HK) officially listed on the

Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) on January 8, 2026
, becoming the “world’s first large model stock”[1][2]:

Indicator Data
Offer Price
HK$116.2 per share
Opening Price
HK$120 per share
Closing Price
HK$131.5 per share
First-Day Gain
+13.17%
Total Market Capitalization
HK$57.89 billion
Funds Raised
Approximately HK$4.173 billion
1.2 Investor Structure

Zhipu has attracted an all-star cornerstone investor lineup, including 11 cornerstone investors such as core state-owned assets in Beijing, leading insurance capital, and large public offering funds, with a total subscription of HK$2.98 billion, accounting for more than 70% of the total issuance[1][3].

1.3 Shareholder Returns

As a major shareholder, Meituan’s shareholding corresponds to a market value of HK$2.263 billion, with an unrealized book profit of nearly HK$2 billion. Tech giants such as Tencent and Alibaba also participated in the investment as early as 2023[3].


II. Zhipu AI’s Financial Performance and Business Model
2.1 Revenue Growth Trend

Zhipu has demonstrated strong revenue growth momentum[4][5]:

Year Revenue (RMB 100 million) YoY Growth Rate
2022 0.57
2023 1.25 +119%
2024 3.12 +150%
2025H1 1.91 +325%

The three-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) exceeds 130%
, and the growth rate accelerated further in the first half of 2025[4].

2.2 Business Model Analysis

Zhipu adopts a dual-track commercialization path of “

MaaS (Model as a Service) + Local Deployment
”[5]:

Business Model Revenue Share (2024) Description
Local Deployment
84.5% Provides customized solutions for government and enterprise customers
Cloud MaaS
15.5% API calls, enterprise services

As of 2025, Zhipu has empowered

12,000 enterprise customers worldwide
,
over 80 million terminal devices
, and
more than 45 million developers
[4]. On the global large model marketplace OpenRouter, the paid API call volume of Zhipu’s GLM-4.5/4.6 ranks among the top 10 globally, and its revenue exceeds the sum of all domestic models[4].

2.3 Profitability Challenges

Despite rapid revenue growth, Zhipu still faces sustained losses[4][6]:

Year Net Loss (RMB 100 million)
2022 1.44
2023 7.88
2024 29.58
2025H1 23.58

Core Reasons for Losses:

  • Massive R&D Investment
    : In 2024, R&D expenditure reached RMB 2.195 billion, which is
    more than 7 times its revenue
  • High Computing Power Costs
    : In 2024, computing power service fees reached RMB 1.553 billion, accounting for over 70% of R&D expenditure
2.4 Industry Position

Based on 2024 revenue, Zhipu ranks

first among independent general-purpose large model developers in China
, and second among all general-purpose large model developers, with a market share of
6.6%
[1][4].


III. In-Depth Assessment of Commercialization Prospects of Large Models
3.1 Market Size and Growth Potential
Indicator Data Source
2024 Chinese Large Model Development Platform Market Size RMB 1.69 billion [7]
2025 Projected Market Size RMB 2.37 billion [7]
2030 Projected Market Size RMB 25 billion [7]
2025 Chinese AI Large Model Market Size Expected to exceed RMB 49.5 billion [8]
3.2 Comparison of Commercialization Paths

There are currently two main commercialization paths[6]:

Path Representative Enterprises Characteristics
B-end Services
Zhipu Local deployment for government and enterprise customers, high customer unit price but high customization costs
C-end Applications
MiniMax Global C-end monetization, steep revenue growth but great challenges in user retention

Zhipu’s B-end model is relatively stable — the 2024 Chinese large language model market size is approximately RMB 5.3 billion, of which

institutional customers contributed RMB 4.7 billion, while individual customers contributed only RMB 600 million
[6].

3.3 Four Major Structural Challenges in Commercialization
Challenge Specific Performance
High Costs
The training cost of a 100-billion-parameter model ranges from RMB 300 million to RMB 500 million; customers recognize the effectiveness of DeepSeek but are cost-sensitive[9]
Data Bottlenecks
Enterprise data is scattered, lack of dataset construction from an AI perspective, and insufficient high-quality industry corpora[9]
Insufficient Engineering Capabilities
Implementation requires solving issues such as full-system full-link, software-hardware integration, and large-scale customization[9]
Cognitive Bias
Business leaders have overly high expectations for AI, while technical teams are concerned about implementation[9]
3.4 Judgment on Industry Development Trends

1. Differentiation of Technical Routes

  • General-Purpose Large Models
    : Zhipu, Moonshot AI, etc., continue to invest in basic model R&D
  • Vertical Domain Models
    : 01.AI, Baichuan Intelligence shift to industry applications and vertical domains
  • On-Device Models
    : Moonshot AI, Juxing Star bet on deep thinking and on-device deployment[3]

2. Balance Between Open Source and Commercialization

Liu Debing, Chairman of Zhipu Huazhang, said: “Open source and commercialization are symbiotic, not mutually exclusive.” The ecological prosperity brought by open source will eventually be converted into commercial users, and it is expected that when AI becomes social infrastructure in the future, it will contain
trillion-level
commercial value[9].

3. Evolution Direction of Business Models

  • MaaS Platformization: Transition from local deployment to cloud API calls
  • Agent: From passive response to active planning, becoming the next-generation technological high ground
  • Multimodal Fusion: From “stitching-style” to “native multimodal”[7]

IV. Investment Value and Risk Assessment
4.1 Positive Factors
  1. First-Mover Advantage in the Market
    : As the “world’s first large model stock”, Zhipu has established significant brand awareness and customer base
  2. Technological Barriers
    : Backed by technology transfer from Tsinghua University, the GLM series models complete a base iteration every 2-3 months[1]
  3. Policy Support
    : AI is a national strategic emerging industry, enjoying policy dividends
  4. High Revenue Growth
    : Three-year CAGR of over 130%, verifying commercial feasibility
4.2 Risk Warnings
  1. Sustained Loss Risk
    : R&D investment continues to increase, and the loss expands faster than revenue growth
  2. Customer Concentration Issue
    : The top five customers account for over 40% of revenue, and there is a “yearly replacement” characteristic (no overlapping customers)[6]
  3. Intensified Competition
    : Tech giants such as ByteDance and Alibaba continue to increase investment in large model businesses
  4. Valuation Pressure
    : The HK$57.89 billion market capitalization corresponds to high expectations, requiring continuous verification of commercialization capabilities
4.3 Valuation Reference

According to Frost & Sullivan data, Zhipu ranks first among independent general-purpose large model developers, but its market share is only 6.6%, indicating that the industry as a whole is still highly fragmented[4]. Regarding the competition of cutting-edge models, HSBC Research believes that high sunk costs will lead to market rationalization, eventually forming an oligopolistic pattern dominated by a few giants and coexisting with small professional players[10].


V. Conclusions and Outlook

Zhipu AI delivered a strong performance on its first day of listing (+13.17%), reflecting the market’s high recognition of the “world’s first large model stock” and optimism about the long-term value of the AI track. However, the commercialization of large models is still in the early exploration stage, and

high growth and high investment go hand in hand
is a common characteristic of the industry.

From the perspective of commercialization prospects:

  • Short-Term (1-2 Years)
    : Zhipu will continue to promote the dual-track strategy of “MaaS + Local Deployment”, focusing on increasing the proportion of cloud deployment, with the goal of raising API business revenue to 50%
  • Mid-Term (3-5 Years)
    : With the improvement of technological maturity, cost reduction, and accumulation of industry data, large-scale AI implementation is expected to accelerate
  • Long-Term
    : Under the vision of AI becoming social infrastructure, a trillion-level market space is promising, but structural challenges such as costs, data, and engineering need to be addressed

For investors, Zhipu AI represents

an important exploration of cutting-edge technology and China’s AI industrialization
; while recognizing its industry position, it is necessary to closely monitor the emergence of its profit inflection point and continuous verification of its business model.


References

[1] Securities Times - “World’s First Large Model Stock” Zhipu Exceeds HK$57 Billion in Market Capitalization on Its First Listing Day (https://www.stcn.com/article/detail/3580246.html)

[2] Sina Finance - Zhipu AI Surges 13.17% on Its First Listing Day (https://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/2026-01-08/doc-inhfreqi3630259.shtml)

[3] Time Weekly - The World’s First Large Model Stock Is Born! Zhipu Surges 13.17% on Its First Listing Day (https://cn.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/article-3156519)

[4] Securities Times - Zhipu Spints to Become the “World’s First Large Model Stock” (https://www.stcn.com/article/detail/3550275.html)

[5] OFweek - Zhipu and MiniMax Compete for the “First Large Model Stock” (https://m.ofweek.com/ai/2025-12/ART-201712-8420-30677284.html)

[6] The Paper - RMB 176.5 Billion, Capital Frenzy Over Two Large Model Leaders (https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_32351566)

[7] Volcengine - Research Report on the Latest Developments of AI Large Models (November 2025 Issue) (https://developer.volcengine.com/articles/7577300596110295078)

[8] CSDN - 2025 In-Depth Report on the AI Large Model Industry (https://deepseek.csdn.net/68649d8fa6db534ba2b581b1.html)

[9] Securities Times - Where Will the AI Industry Go in the Next Decade? (https://www.stcn.com/article/detail/3497925.html)

[10] Wall Street CN - Six Key Issues in the Early Stage of the AI Cycle (https://wallstreetcn.com/articles/3762835)

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Insights are generated using AI models and historical data for informational purposes only. They do not constitute investment advice or recommendations. Past performance is not indicative of future results.