Alibaba unveils new AI model boosting shares by 8%
A robust performance in mathematical reasoning, coding, and problem-solving.
Alibaba Group’s latest AI breakthrough sent its Hong Kong-listed shares soaring more than 8% on Thursday.
The e-commerce giant announced its new AI reasoning model, QwQ-32B, which it claims performs on par with DeepSeek’s R1 model despite having far fewer parameters—32 billion compared to 671 billion.
The unveiling comes as China pushes for advancements in AI, humanoid robots, and 6G technology, with government support pledged on Wednesday.
Alibaba’s new model is available through its chatbot service, Qwen Chat, which offers various AI models, including the high-powered Qwen2.5-Max.
The company said QwQ-32B demonstrated strong performance in areas such as mathematical reasoning, coding, and problem-solving, competing closely with top global models like OpenAI’s o1 mini and DeepSeek’s R1.
DeepSeek has gained recognition in China for producing highly efficient AI models at a fraction of the cost of its Western rivals.
Meanwhile, another Chinese AI innovation also made headlines on Thursday. A startup called Monica introduced an AI agent named Manus, which reportedly outperformed OpenAI’s Deep Research on an AI assistant benchmark.
Unlike traditional chatbots, AI agents are designed for more complex tasks, with Manus capable of creating travel itineraries and comparing insurance policies.
Currently available by invitation only, the agent gained significant attention online, with a demonstration video amassing over 280,000 views and users eager to gain access.
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