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China trails US in LLMs, ex-Tencent AI head says
Liu Wei, former head of Tencent’s Hunyuan model team, said China trails US rivals in large language models.
In an interview published on May 22, he said China should focus on areas such as AI video generation, where it may have a better chance to lead.
He said Chinese model makers are mostly following DeepSeek and US firms, and estimated China’s top LLMs lag US leaders by at least three months as US chip export controls limit computing power.
Liu now runs Video Rebirth, a Singapore-based AI video startup with a research team in Hong Kong.
The company launched its Bach video engine this month after raising US$80 million.
He said video models need less computing power than frontier LLMs, and cited Artificial Analysis rankings that put seven Chinese models in the top 10 for AI video and Bach at No. 6 on release.
🔗 Source: South China Morning Post
🧠 Food for thought
Implications, context, and why it matters.
Backers see AI video as a tool for factories and robotics
- Video Rebirth raised US$80 million in two steps. It closed an initial US$50 million round, then added US$30 million after strong interest from backers 1.
- The money came from industrial and tech groups as well as venture firms. Participants included AMD Ventures, Hyundai Motor Group, and CJ Group 1.
- That mix fits Video Rebirth’s plan to build an “industrial-grade AI engine” 1. Hyundai sees the software as a way to train physical AI in hyper-realistic digital worlds, while AMD is a long-term infrastructure partner 1.
The next goal for AI video is realistic simulation for robots
- Liu Wei moved into video because he believes China’s AI sector has few breakthroughs in large language models and keeps copying others 2. He wants a “world model” with physics-aware realism, an AI system built to mimic how the real world behaves 3.
- Hyundai’s investment hints at a larger market in industrial simulation 1. Physically consistent virtual settings could train robots and other physical AI systems, tying AI development to real-world industries 4.
- Building Video Rebirth in Singapore supports its claim that it was “built as a global company from day one” 1. The location also helps it reach overseas customers with an international group of backers 1.
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