Destiny 2's next Episode, Heresy, is just around the corner. The "final epilogue entry" for the Light and Darkness Saga will have some unvoiced lines of dialogue though, due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.In the recent This Week In Destiny update, Bungie said its teams have taken care to deliver the narrative and story content, but warned that certain voice lines will be silent due to the ongoing Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strike.Subtitles will be enabled by default so players don't miss any story, and Bungie outlined a number of accessibility and visibility options for said subtitles. Heresy activities that have missing voice acting will display a warning before launch.The SAG-AFTRA strike started last July after the union confirmed it had failed to reach an agreement with video companies following a series of negotiations. SAG-AFTRA cited a lack of agreement over regulating generative artificial intelligence (or GenAI) in projects.Even games not subject to the strike have been affected. Activision, for example, recast several Zombies characters in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 after the voice actors reportedly chose not to sign new contracts in solidarity with striking union members. Some projects and teams have since struck an interim agreement, permitting members to work on those games.The extent of Destiny 2: Heresy's lack of voice-acting is unclear, though some fans have noted that it appears Sloane will be one of the silent characters. There's no note on whether these voice lines could be added in a future update, if the studio and publisher reach a deal with the striking actors.For more on how the strike has, and will continue to, affect the games you play, check out our feature from last year, What the SAG-AFTRA Video Game Actors Strike Means for Gamers. Destiny 2: Heresy goes live on February 4, 2025.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

SummaryDiscover the bone-clad chapels and natural wonders that await you in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.Learn how Warhorse made use of historical records to build an authentic 15th century world.Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is available today for Xbox Series X|S.The task of authentically recreating 15th century Bohemia for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is one thats part careful forensic work, and part respectful artistic interpretation. To learn more, we sat down with senior game designer Ondej Bittner to find out how the team at Warhorse Studios went about crafting an authentically immersive world in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, available today.Bittner explains that the team starts with the geographical data, because not a lot has changed when it comes to the formation of hills, valleys and rivers. Then, there are the military maps created in the mid-19th century. They usually have the layout of fairly static villages, Bittner says. This was quite a common thing to do in European military history. When you build an army that has hundreds of thousands of soldiers, you need really good maps with individual buildings, logistical points, roads and so on.Once the top-level geography, settlements and architecture of 15th century Bohemia have all been established, the team then turns to the living curators of those buildings that survived to the modern day.You can talk to the people taking care of these castles or churches, and see if they have any material on a particular building, says Bittner. Sometimes they do, sometimes they dont! If they dont, then you have to reconstruct it from more general knowledge about the time.Some aspects of this historical forensic work are trickier to tackle than others. One such example is the clock tower that was once situated in the main square of central city Kuttenberg, but has long since been lost to history.We know there was a tower there, but it burned down, explains Bittner on researching this particular missing piece. When you look at woodcuts from the 16th century you can see how the city looked from a hill, but theres not usually any detail. We have to research how clock towers from that period would have looked, and then reconstruct it.Thankfully, some of the periods most extraordinary architecture has survived intact into the modern age. Consider the Sedlec Ossuary, for example, the extraordinary chapel decorated with the bones of more than 40,000 people.Buildings like these arent just eye-catching attractions for tourists and gamers alike, they also provide a rich source of environmental storytelling that helps the team understand the outlook of a long-gone medieval population. Attitudes towards death veered more towards the macabre then, and had a profound influence on art and architecture.The natural environments of medieval Europe provide another atmospheric playground for the studio to explore. Near Trosky Castle, the intimidating centerpiece of the sequels storyline, lie the Apolena Rocks. This type of sandstone rock formation is a common sight across the Czech Republic, forming maze-like structures associated with all manner of local legends.Most of the landscape of Bohemia even in the 15th century is quite inviting, says Bittner. I would say its pretty mellow but this area immediately feels dangerous, as though bad people are hiding out here. Thats reflected in the music design and all manner of things, and its a place thats allowed us to do something special.While the geography hasnt changed much over the last 500 years, civilizations influence on the natural habitat has been sharply felt. Even half a millennium ago, humans were planting forests for the explicit purpose of de-forestation, replacing many of the natural tree and bush formations in the process.Sometimes we do want a clearly defined forest and so we have those areas, explains Bittner. Then we have more natural forests based on research about biodiversity and the various plants and flowers that are still here. This usually hasnt changed.Instead, much of medieval historys impact on the Bohemian landscape has been buried underground. Its here in the dumping grounds of medieval Europe that Warhorse has discovered a goldmine of information as it seeks to recreate an authentic representation of 15th century life.You can learn a lot about human civilization if you look in the trash bin! says Bittner. Our researchers will go to dump locations and look at what people have been throwing out. Are there a lot of pottery shards here? If so, pottery was probably quite common. The composition of clothing also tells us more about these people.I wont go into gruesome details, but the seeds have a certain advantage when it comes to archaeology too, as theyre non-digestible!By combining this sort of painstaking research with a passion for telling stories in a unique period of history, Warhorse has created an authentic and immersive world unlike any other in RPG gaming. Its a world youll be able to experience for yourself when Kingdom Come: Deliverance II launches on Xbox Series X|S today.Kingdom Come: Deliverance IIDeep Silver189$69.99Get it nowPre-order now to receive the bonus quest, The Lion's Crest. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a thrilling Action RPG, set amid the chaos of a civil war in 15th Century Bohemia.You are Henry of Skalitz an ordinary man doing extraordinary things caught in a gripping tale of revenge, betrayal and discovery as he embarks on an epic journey, from a humble blacksmith's forge to the court of Kings, as he searches for purpose in this beautiful but brutal medieval world.From bustling city streets to lush forests, discover this open-world Medieval Europe through an unforgettable adventure filled with action, thrill and wonder.A Tale of Love and RevengeLive life through the eyes and actions of Henry, a young man on a quest to avenge his murdered parents. His story illustrated with over five hours of stunning cinematics takes him from aspiring warrior to rebel, crossing paths with a charismatic cast of characters and an unforgettable set of adventures, as he goes up against the King of Hungary, Sigismund the Red Fox and his fearsome allies. A True RPG ExperienceYour actions shape Henrys destiny and how the world will react to him. Customize freely his appearance, skills and equipment while taking a moral stance on the events around you. Travel round the land engaging in unique activities, such as blacksmithing and archery, to truly immerse yourself in this vibrant region of Europe that will remember your actions, forever.Live a Life MedievalThis stunningly authentic rendition of 15th Century Bohemia allows you to experience this fascinating setting like never before. Get lost in a sprawling city, engage with peasants and talk with nobles while exploring a vast and rich countryside with taverns, bath houses, castles and more. Authentic First-Person CombatFeel the clash of steel and visceral combat as you engage in thrilling real-time battles. Theres a range of authentic weapons and combat styles to suit every player. On foot, horse or by stealth, you can specialise in elegant sword mastery, brutal blunt weapons or deadly ranged attacks.

Netflix has long championed the binge model of TV releases, dropping full seasons all at once. Recently though, split-seasons have become more common. Now, Netflixs content head has explained why.Netflix splitting seasons started because of COVID, but kept going for other reasonsIn the early days of TV streaming, Netflixs pioneering role led many to wonder if the companys binge-drop practice would become common in the industry.Several years in, Netflix now stands largely alone in dropping full seasons all at once. Apple TV+, Max, Disney+, and others tend to do weekly releases instead.Instead of turning the industry toward binge-drops, recently Netflix has shown more willingness to follow the path of its competitors. Weekly releases are still rare for the streamer, but some of the biggest Netflix titles of the last few years have debuted in split-seasons. This happened with Stranger Things, The Crown, Bridgerton, Emily in Paris, and more.Bela Bajaria, Netflix Chief Content Officer, was recently asked by Deadline about the new split-season practice.Some of those have been for reasons, because it was during Covid and strikes to get the shows on so audiences dont have to wait for a long time, she said. A lot of times its been creator-driven. Peter Morgan on The Crown, Shonda Rhimes on Bridgerton, there was a way that they wanted to structure or write it because they felt it was an actual, natural emotional break. So theres no set way, it depends on whats best for the show.Her COVID and strike explanations certainly ring true for why Netflix began splitting seasons in two. However, continuing the practice well beyond those circumstances is apparently a creator-driven decision.Balancing viewer satisfaction with financial needsWhen Bajaria was asked about seeing mixed results for the new practicefor example, subscriber dissatisfaction, losing viewers between parts 1 and 2, she pushed back.Im not sure it was mixed results, Bajaria said.Only Bajaria has the full data to see how successfulor notNetflixs new split-season approach has been. But the fact that the company keeps doing it seems to support her claim.Whether viewers like it or not, splitting seasons of popular shows allows Netflix to retain subscribers longer, and get double the hype for a new season premiere. In other words, Netflix can keep its binge-drop reputation while enjoying some of the benefits of more drawn-out releases.What are your thoughts on Netflixs split-season approach? Do you prefer binge drops or slower releases? Let us know in the comments.Best iPhone accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Update: Officially announced and now available on the App Store.The stage is set for Apple Invites to arrive at any point now. The new feature first revealed by 9to5Mac has now been named on Apples iCloud website. 9to5Mac has also learned much more about how the new app and service will work. Read on for detailsThis image appears on icloud.com when signed out, confirming the Apple Invites name and iCloud+ subscription requirement:According to our sources, Apple Invites will allow up to three users to be event organizers. Well see integration from Apple Photos with shared albums, and we expect Apple Music integration for shared playlists as well.Apple will pitch the feature as being useful for creating online party invitations like for baby showers, birthdays, and graduation parties. Attendees will not need an Apple Account or Apple device to respond to an Apple Invite either.Apple Invites is expected to have a dedicated app that users can download from the App Store.Update: Apple Invites is now available on the App Store. Apple has also released a press release for the new app. See how it looks in the gallery below:Top iPhone accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

The Life AquaticMysterious Ultra-Wealthy Figure Building Deepwater Settlement for Human HabitationbyNoor Al-Sibai"The goal is to live in the ocean, forever."Feb 4, 8:48 AM ESTDeep / Williams Street / Getty / Futurism"The goal is to live in the ocean, forever."Bottom of EverythingAt an old limestone quarry in Chepstow, England, a single mysterious benefactor is shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars to build a training facility to help humans dwell in the depths.As the Guardian reports, the project known as "Deep" plans to have a training school, accommodation units, and transport submersibles that will take scientists and, eventually, rich people to and from the underwater settlement as they learn how to live underwater longer than any humans have before.The project plans, audaciously, to establish a "permanent human presence" under an undisclosed sea by the year 2027 and despite that rapidly approaching deadline, Deep has reportedly already made significant headway.According to Deep chief operating officer Mike Shackleford, the project's lodging units, known as "Sentinels," will initially house multiple people for up to 28 days at a time. Down the line, the company hopes to extend those stays even longer."The goal is to live in the ocean, forever," Shackleford told the Guardian. "To have permanent human settlements in all oceans across the world."Deep PocketsThough Deep's COO and other people working on the project were more than happy to talk to the British newspaper about their personal and collective goals, spokespeople for the endeavor refused to name the person or entity paying for it all.They also refused to say exactly how much the patron, who is footing the entire bill for the undertaking, has invested except to note that it's more than the nearly $125 million that has already gone into Deep's training campus at the old limestone quarry.The investor, whoever they are, is bent on increasing "understanding of the ocean and its critical role for humanity" or reigniting what Shackleford described as a race between space and ocean exploration, in which "space won out."As for the dark mark left on the submersible industry from 2023's Titan tragedy, Deep diving and training lead Phil Short said the company is working with that is, paying handsomely the Norway-based Det Norske Veritas risk assessment agency to make sure everything is up to snuff."DNV are approving every potential design, manufacture and testing capability of our systems from day one," Short said. "So, when we finally get this built and were about to drop it in the water, it will be fully certified in class."More on what lies beneath: Scan Detects Evidence of "Lost World" Under Pacific OceanShare This Article

Feb 04, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Threat IntelligenceCybersecurity researchers have called attention to a software supply chain attack targeting the Go ecosystem that involves a malicious package capable of granting the adversary remote access to infected systems.The package, named github.com/boltdb-go/bolt, is a typosquat of the legitimate BoltDB database module (github.com/boltdb/bolt), per Socket. The malicious version (1.3.1) was published to GitHub in November 2021, following which it was cached indefinitely by the Go Module Mirror service."Once installed, the backdoored package grants the threat actor remote access to the infected system, allowing them to execute arbitrary commands," security researcher Kirill Boychenko said in an analysis.Socket said the development marks one of the earliest instances of a malicious actor abusing the Go Module Mirror's indefinite caching of modules to trick users into downloading the package. Subsequently, the attacker is said to have modified the Git tags in the source repository in order to redirect them to the benign version.This deceptive approach ensured that a manual audit of the GitHub repository did not reveal any malicious content, while the caching mechanism meant that unsuspecting developers installing the package using the go CLI continued to download the backdoored variant."Once a module version is cached, it remains accessible through the Go Module Proxy, even if the original source is later modified," Boychenko said. "While this design benefits legitimate use cases, the threat actor exploited it to persistently distribute malicious code despite subsequent changes to the repository.""With immutable modules offering both security benefits and potential abuse vectors, developers and security teams should monitor for attacks that leverage cached module versions to evade detection."The development comes as Cycode detailed three malicious npm packages serve-static-corell, openssl-node, and next-refresh-token that harbored obfuscated code to collect system metadata and run arbitrary commands issued by a remote server ("8.152.163[.]60") on the infected host. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Along with the first trailer forThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel has also released a batch of official high-res images from the movie.Each of the four members of the team Pedro Pascals Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirbys Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinns Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrachs The Thing received one photo. Plus theres a group shot of all four in their costumes. (Unusually, Pascals doesnt exactly match the other three members of the team for some reason.)The Fantastic Four: First Steps New ImagesHere are the first official images of Marvels The Fantastic Four: First Steps, coming to theaters on July 25, 2025.READ MORE: Every Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie, Ranked From Worst to BestFirst Steps is the first Fantastic Four film set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe,and the first by Marvel Studios. Previous efforts (at least the previous efforts that actually made their way to theaters) were produced and released by 20th Century Fox, prior toDisneys acquisition of the studio.Fox made two totally distinct versions of the team, one in the mid-2000s and one in 2015.The first, directed by Tim Story, was a fairly faithful rendition of the old Stan Lee and Jack Kirby comics, with the setting updated to modern day. The second, directed by Josh Trank, was a much darker and more grounded take on the material, with certain elements pulled from theUltimate Fantastic Four comic book, which was published from 2004 to 2009.Here is the official synopsis for MarvelsThe Fantastic Four: First Steps:Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvels First FamilyReed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it werent bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.The Fantastic Four: First Steps is currently scheduled to open in theaters on July 25. The trailer for the film is below.Get our free mobile appThe Most Anticipated Movies of 202520 movies we cant wait to see in 25.Categories: Movie News, Superheroes

Time zones: EST (UTC -5)Job Title: Part-time Social Media & Advertising ManagerStart Date: ASAPCompensation: $2000 USD per monthWe're seeking a passionate and proactive digital marketer to join our Marketing team. In this role, you'll manage social media channels and design, execute, and optimize paid ad campaigns across multiple platforms.Key ResponsibilitiesPaid Ads Management:Plan, execute, and optimize paid ad campaigns for conversions across social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok).Develop and manage Google Ads campaigns, including search, display, demand gen, and YouTube ads.Conduct keyword research, A/B testing, and audience targeting to improve campaign performance.Track and report on ad performance metrics to measure ROI and identify opportunities for improvement.Social media management:Manage day-to-day social media activities, including scheduling, monitoring, and engaging with audiences.Collaborate with designers and content creators to produce engaging, on-brand social media assets.Analyze performance data to refine strategies and enhance future campaigns.RequirementsMinimum 2+ years of professional experience managing paid advertising campaigns and social media platforms.Proven track record of running successful campaigns on Google Ads and major social media platforms.Proficiency in social media analytics tools (e.g., Brand24, Sprout, or equivalents).Strong understanding of SEO, PPC, and UTM tracking best practices.Excellent communication and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.Familiarity with tools such as Airtable, Bitly, and other marketing platforms.A creative mindset with a strong eye for visual and written content trends.Fluent English speaker/ C1-level proficiency.Commitment and location:This part-time role requires around 25 hours per week. We are looking for a professional who can work independently, think strategically, and collaborate effectively. Candidates must be located within the GMT-5 time zones to ensure smooth communication and workflow.About Voice123Our mission is to craft the future of the audio content industry and lead where others follow. 21 years ago, Voice123 pioneered online voice casting by creating the first platform that could help voice actors start, consolidate, and build a successful, lifelong career. Our platform is built and designed to make sure that creatives are in charge of their own career, and we believe we need to set the benchmark for transparency in the audio industry.We would love to hear from you if you are a proactive and results-driven individual passionate about social media and paid ads.

Are you a talented Senior Developer looking for a remote job that lets you show your skills and get decent compensation? Look no further than Lemon.io the marketplace that connects you with hand-picked startups in the US and Europe.What we offer:The rate depends on your seniority level, skills and experience. We've already paid out over $11M to our engineers.No more hunting for clients or negotiating rates let us handle the business side of things so you can focus on what you do best.We'll manually find the best project for you according to your skills and preferences.Choose a schedule that works best for you. Its possible to communicate async or minimally overlap within team working hours.We respect your seniority so you can expect no micromanagement or screen trackers.Communicate directly with the clients. Most of them have technical backgrounds. Sounds good, yeah?We will support you from the time you submit the application throughout all cooperation stages.Most of our projects involve working in a fast-paced startup environment. We hope you like it as much as we do.Through our community, we will connect you with the best developers from more than 50 countries.Requirements:4+ years of software development experience.3+ years of commercial experience with React.js.3+ years of commercial experience with Python AND/OR 4+ years of experience with Node.js.Hands-on experience with Next.js, PostgreSQL, Node.js would be a plus, 3+ years of experience with AWS and TypeScript is a mustStrong technical skills: as a Senior Developer, you are expected to be able to create projects from scratch and have a deep understanding of application architecture.Clear and effective communication in English advanced ability to discuss business tasks, justify decisions, and communicate issues. Good self-presentation is also essential for upcoming client calls.Strong self-organizational skills ability to work full-time remotely with no supervision.Reliability we want to trust you and expect that you wont let us and the client down.Adaptability and Flexibility the ability to onboard the project promptly after accepting it and start delivering results quickly.Sounds good for you? Apply now and join the Lemon.io community!NOT YOUR TECH STACK?We have different projects for Senior Full-Stack Developers, so if you have 4+ years of commercial experience in software development and you are fluent with React & Node.js, Angular & .NET, we would be happy to communicate and provide you with a project that matches your experience. Just apply, and we will share more details with you.If your experience matches our requirements, be ready for the next steps:VideoAsk watch a short video about our startup, up to 10 minutesComplete your profile on our website30-minute screening callTechnical interviewFeedbackMagic Box (we are looking for the best project for you).P.S. We work with developers from 50+ countries in different regions: Europe, LATAM, Canada, Asia (Philippines, Indonesia), Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea), and the UK. However, we have some exceptions.At the moment, we dont have a legal basis to accept applicants from the following countriesEuropean: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Kosovo, Belarus, Russia, and Serbia.Latin America: Cuba and NicaraguaMost Asian countries and Africa.We expand and shorten the list of exemptions regularly.We do not provide visa assistance, and our cooperation model does not include the benefits typically offered with direct hire.Do you represent a company with engineers who match the description and want to collaborate with us through staff augmentation? Then register here.

The meteoric rise of DeepSeekthe Chinese AI startup now challenging global giantshas stunned observers and put the spotlight on Chinas AI sector. Since ChatGPTs debut in 2022, the countrys tech ecosystem has been in relentless pursuit of homegrown alternatives, giving rise to a wave of startups and billion-dollar bets. Today, the race is dominated by tech titans like Alibaba and ByteDance, alongside well-funded rivals backed by heavyweight investors. But two years into Chinas generative AI boom we are seeing a shift: Smaller innovators have to carve out their own niches or risk missing out. What began as a sprint has become a high-stakes marathonChinas AI ambitions have never been higher. An elite group of companies known as the Six TigersStepfun, Zhipu, Minimax, Moonshot, 01.AI, and Baichuanare generally considered to be at the forefront of Chinas AI sector. But alongside them, research-focused firms like DeepSeek and ModelBest continue to grow in influence. Some, such as Minimax and Moonshot, are giving up on costly foundational model training to hone in on building consumer-facing applications on top of others models. Others, like Stepfun and Infinigence AI, are doubling down on research, driven in part by US semiconductor restrictions. We have identified these four Chinese AI companies as the ones to watch. Stepfun Founded in April 2023 by former Microsoft senior vice president Jiang Daxin, Stepfun emerged relatively late onto the AI startup scene, but it has quickly become a contender thanks to its portfolio of foundational models. It is also committed to building artificial general intelligence (AGI), a mission a lot of Chinese startups have given up on. With backing from investors like Tencent and funding from Shanghais government, the firm released 11 foundational AI models last yearspanning language, visual, video, audio, and multimodal systems. Its biggest language model so far, Step-2, has over 1 trillion parameters (GPT-4 has about 1.8 trillion). It is currently ranked behind only ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Claude, and Geminis models on LiveBench, a third-party benchmark site that evaluates the capabilities of large language models. Stepfuns multimodal model, Step-1V, is also highly ranked for its ability to understand visual inputs on Chatbot Arena, a crowdsource platform where users can compare and rank AI models performance. This company is now working with AI application developers, who are building on top of its models. According to Chinese media outlet 36Kr, demand from external developers to use Stepfuns multimodal API surged over 45-fold in the second half of 2024. ModelBest Researchers at the prestigious Tsinghua University founded ModelBest in 2022 in Beijings Haidian district. Since then, the company has distinguished itself by leaning into efficiency and embracing the trend of small language models. Its MiniCPM seriesoften dubbed Little Powerhouses in Chineseis engineered for on-device, real-time processing on smartphones, PCs, automotive systems, smart home devices, and even robots. Its pitch to customers is that this combination of smaller models and local data processing cuts costs and enhances privacy. ModelBests newest model, MiniCPM 3.0, has only 4 billion parameters but matches the performance of GPT-3.5 on various benchmarks. On GitHub and Hugging Face, the companys models can be found under the profile of OpenBMB (Open Lab for Big Model Base), its open-source research lab. Investors have taken note: In December 2024, the company announced a new, third round of funding worth tens of millions of dollars. Zhipu Also originating at Tsinghua University, Zhipu AI has grown into a company with strong ties to government and academia. The firm is developing foundational models as well as AI products based on them, including ChatGLM, a conversational model, and a video generator called Ying, which is akin to OpenAIs Sora system. GLM-4-Plus, the companys most advanced large language model to date, is trained on high-quality synthetic data, which reduces training costs, but has still matched the performance of GPT-4. The company has also developed GLM-4V-Plus, a vision model capable of interpreting web pages and videos, which represents a step toward AI with more agentic capabilities. Among the cohort of new Chinese AI startups, Zhipu is the first to get on the US governments radar. On January 15, the Biden administration revised its export control regulations, adding over 20 Chinese entitiesincluding 10 subsidiaries of Zhipu AIto its restricted trade list, restricting them from receiving US goods or technology for national interest reasons. The US claims Zhipus technology is helping Chinas military, which the company denies. Valued at over $2 billion, Zhipu is currently one of the biggest AI startups in China and is reportedly soon planning an IPO. The companys investors include Beijing city government-affiliated funds and various prestigious VCs. Infinigence AI Founded in 2023, Infinigence AI is smaller than other companies on this list, though it has still attracted $140 million in funding so far. The company focuses on infrastructure instead of model development. Its main selling point is its ability to combine chips from lots of different brands successfully to execute AI tasks, forming whats dubbed a heterogeneous computing cluster. This is a unique challenge Chinese AI companies face due to US chip sanctions. Infinigence AI claims its system could increase the effectiveness of AI training by streamlining how different chip architecturesincluding various models from AMD, Huawei, and Nvidiawork in synchronization. In addition, Infinigence AI has launched its Infini-AI cloud platform, which combines multiple vendors products to develop and deploy models. The company says it wants to build an effective compute utilization solution with Chinese characteristics, and native to AI training. It claims that its training system HetHub could reduce AI models training time by 30% by optimizing the heterogeneous computing clusters Chinese companies often have. Honorable mentions Baichuan While many of its competitors chase scale and expansive application ranges, Baichuan AI, founded by industry veteran Wang Xiaochuan (the founder of Sogou) in April 2023, is focused on the domestic Chinese market, targeting sectors like medical assistance and health care. With a valuation over $2 billion after its newest round of fundraising, Baichuan is currently among the biggest AI startups in China. Minimax Founded by AI veteran Yan Junjie, Minimax is best known for its product Talkie, a companion chatbot available around the world. The platform provides various characters users can chat with for emotional support or entertainment, and it had even more downloads last year than leading competitor chatbot platform Character.ai. Chinese media outlet 36Kr reported that Minimaxs revenue in 2024 was around $70 million, making it one of the most successful consumer-facing Chinese AI startups in the global market. Moonshot Moonshot is best known for building Kimi, the second-most-popular AI chatbot in China, just after ByteDances Doubao, with over 13 million users. Released in 2023, Kimi supports input lengths of over 200,000 characters, making it a popular choice among students, white-collar workers, and others who routinely have to work with long chunks of text. Founded by Yang Zhilin, a renowned AI researcher who studied at Tsinghua University and Carnegie Mellon University, Moonshot is backed by big tech companies, including Alibaba, and top venture capital firms. The company is valued at around $3 billion but is reportedly scaling back on its foundational model research as well as overseas product development plans, as key people leave the company.