What Tencent’s Open AI Ecosystem and Model Race Reveal About the Global AI Shift

Tencent’s Aggressive AI Push

Tencent is displaying an unprecedentedly aggressive stance in AI, with internal leader Ma Huateng describing the OpenClaw ("龙虾") initiative as expanding the company’s battle lines. The firm has launched dozens of intelligent‑agent products, and, notably, WeChat is opening its ecosystem to third‑party AI agents for the first time in over a decade .

President Liu Chi‑ping announced that the Hybrid Model 3.0 is in internal testing and slated for an April release. Industry observers are watching whether it will clash with DeepSeek V4, also expected in April. Compared with version 2.0, Hybrid 3.0 claims significant improvements in inference and agent capabilities, positioning it as a decisive factor for Tencent in the domestic large‑model battle.

China’s Model Usage Leads the World

Recent data shows that China’s AI large‑model weekly call volume has topped the United States for three consecutive weeks , with MiniMax and Step repeatedly ranking first globally. This marks a fundamental shift: Chinese models are moving from “followers” to “leaders.”

According to Liu Liehong, director of the National Data Administration, daily token calls rose from 1 trillion at the start of 2024 to over 140 trillion by March 2025—a growth of more than a thousand‑fold in two years. Projections estimate the AI‑related industry will exceed 10 trillion CNY by the end of the 15‑year plan.

International Giant Moves

Apple is reportedly planning to open Siri to competing AI assistants such as Google Assistant and Alexa, a strategic shift away from its historically closed ecosystem, aimed at preserving Siri’s entry point on devices.

Meta has doubled its Texas AI data‑center investment from $5 billion to $10 billion, accelerating infrastructure build‑out. Simultaneously, Meta is reorganizing its AI team into research, training, product, and infrastructure units under newcomer Alexandr Wang, while freezing AI hires.

Anthropic is seeking up to $10 billion in new funding to boost its valuation and solidify its position as OpenAI’s chief rival, following a court injunction that temporarily blocked a U.S. government designation of the company as a supply‑chain risk.

Deep‑Dive into China’s AI Industry

Former Alibaba Tongyi Qianwen lead Lin Jun‑yang published a long‑form essay titled “From ‘Reasoning‑Based Thinking’ to ‘Agent‑Based Thinking,’” arguing that the next competitive frontier will shift from single‑model performance to system‑level collaboration. This view aligns with the broader industry trend toward “intelligent agents.”

The popularity of the OpenClaw AI agent is triggering a chain reaction: companies like MiniMax, Zhipu, and Dipu Technology are accelerating commercialization, suggesting a potential performance inflection point. Analysts see the “OpenClaw” model as proof of the commercial viability of AI agents, energizing the entire stack from foundational models to end‑user applications.

Guangzhou announced an AI development plan aiming for 10,000 AI‑plus enterprises by 2030, the creation of 2‑3 national‑level smart devices, and the establishment of a “vertical‑model capital” to differentiate itself from Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai.

iFlytek unveiled three new model versions: Office Model 2.0, Local Model 2.0, and Simultaneous‑Interpretation Model 1.0. The latter achieves end‑to‑end real‑time translation with millisecond‑level latency, heralding a new era for AI‑driven office productivity.

Industry Trends and Data

The 2026 Bo’ao Forum showcased AI as a central theme: robot “reporters” asked live questions, digital‑human guests joined panels, and “AI + Robotics” was highlighted as a key driver of industrial upgrade. The forum’s report states that “the global AI development focus is shifting from Europe and the United States to Asia, with Asia moving from follower to leader.”

When OpenAI announced the shutdown of its video‑generation tool Sora, Kuaishou reported that its AI video startup KeLing AI surpassed $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and expects to double to $600 million by 2026, illustrating how Chinese firms are filling market gaps left by U.S. products.

At the Zhongguancun Forum, robots from Galaxy General, Leibo Space and Qianxun Intelligence coordinated under a shared “brain,” demonstrating a shift from isolated AI demos to collaborative empowerment. The Beijing AI Association and the Zhongguancun Open‑Source AI Alliance are set to launch, with Yang Zhiling emphasizing the disruptive potential of open‑source large models.