Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided information, crafted with theprinciples of in-depth journalism in mind:
Shanghai State Capital and TencentInvest in AI Unicorn Stepes, Fueling Large Model Race
Shanghai, China – In a significant move signaling the continued fervor in China’sartificial intelligence sector, AI large model startup Stepes (阶跃星辰) has secured a multi-hundred million dollar Series B funding round. The investment,led by Shanghai State-owned Capital Investment Co., Ltd. and joined by tech giant Tencent, underscores the strategic importance of large language models (LLMs) in the country’s technological ambitions. This development, exclusively reported by TMTPost’s AGI channel, positions Stepes as a key player in the fiercely competitive AI landscape.
The funding round, which also included participation from prominent venture capital firms such as 5Y Capital and Qiming Venture Partners, will bechanneled towards bolstering Stepes’ core research and development efforts. The company aims to further enhance its foundational models, focusing on multi-modal capabilities and complex reasoning, while simultaneously expanding its reach into consumer-facing applications.
Founded in April 2023 and headquartered in Shanghai’s Xuhui district, Stepes is led by Dr. Jiang Daxin, a former Microsoft Global Vice President. The company’s mission is to achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a long-term goal that requires significant investment in research and talent. Stepes boasts a research-heavy team, with over 80% of its employeesdedicated to R&D. Notably, the team includes renowned AI scholars such as Xiangyu Zhang, a co-author of ResNet, and AI systems expert Yibo Zhu, who brings extensive experience in large-scale cluster and system construction.
Since unveiling its Step series models in March 2024, Stepes has rapidly released 11 self-developed base models in just ten months. These models span a wide range of functionalities, including:
- Step-1 & Step-2: Large language models with billions and trillions of parameters, respectively. Step-2 achieved the top ranking among Chineselanguage models on the LiveBench evaluation list in November 2024, making it the only Chinese model to break into the top ten.
- Step-1V & Step-1X: Models for image understanding and generation.
- Step-1.5V: A multi-modal model.
- Step-Video: A video generation model.
- Step-tts-mini: A voice cloning and generation model.
- Step-Asr: A voice recognition model.
- Step-1oAudio: China’s first end-to-end voice large model with billions of parameters.
Stepes’ strategic focus is on the super model + super application approach. On the consumer side, it offers Yue Wen, an AI-powered application. Beyond its own consumer products, Stepes has forged strategic partnerships with companies like Chinese Online andCNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), and is also a technology partner for smartphone manufacturers like Honor and OPPO. These collaborations allow Stepes to extend its reach into various sectors, including finance, content creation, and smart devices.
The company’s multi-modal API has witnessed explosive growth, with a 45-fold increase in usage in the second half of 2024, according to data cited by TMTPost. This surge in demand highlights the growing adoption of AI technologies across various industries.
Dr. Jiang Daxin, CEO of Stepes, has previously stated to TMTPost that the company’sgoal is to make AI as accessible as water and electricity, indicating a commitment to democratizing AI technology. This recent funding round, backed by significant state and private capital, provides Stepes with the resources to pursue this ambitious vision.
Conclusion:
Stepes’ successful Series B funding round, backed by bothstate and private investors, demonstrates the increasing confidence in China’s AI capabilities and the strategic importance of large language models. The company’s rapid development, impressive array of models, and strategic partnerships position it as a formidable contender in the global AI race. With its focus on both fundamental research and practical applications, Stepesis poised to play a significant role in shaping the future of AI in China and beyond.
References:
- Lin, Z. (2023, December 23). 钛媒体AGI独家｜上海国资和腾讯联手投资，“大模型六虎”阶跃星辰获数亿美元B轮融资 [TMTPost AGI Exclusive: Shanghai State Capital and Tencent Jointly Invest, Large Model Six Tigers Stepes Secures Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Series B Funding]. TMTPost AGI.
Views: 0