Global investors turn to Chinese AI firms

Global investors are increasing their wagers on Chinese artificial intelligence companies, betting on the next DeepSeek and seeking to diversify, with concerns growing about a speculative bubble in the sector on Wall Street.

- JIAXING LI LAURA MATTHEWS

An Alibaba logo at an international trade fair in Beijing in September. Investors are gaining exposure to the AI theme through Chinese tech giants such as Alibaba.

(REUTERS)

Demand for China’s Al companies is also being stimulated by Beijing's push for tech independence. China has fast-tracked blockbuster listings of chipmakers, notably Moore Threads — dubbed 'China's Nvidia' — and MetaX, which both debuted this month.

Foreigners see China closing the tech gap with the US as Beijing steps up support for AI chipmakers, spurring bets on Chinese companies just as worries grow over lofty valuations on US-listed Al stocks.

UK-based asset manager Ruffer, for example, said it has “deliberately limited exposure” to the Magnificent Seven — the US tech giants — and is looking to add positions in Alibaba for a bigger exposure to China's AI theme.

“While the US remains the leader in frontier AI, China is rapidly narrowing the gap,” said Gemma Cairns-Smith, investment specialist at Ruffer. “The moat may not be as wide, or as deep, as many think... The competitive landscape is shifting.”

Ruffer is gaining exposure to the AI theme through Chinese tech giants such as Alibaba, which operates an AI chip unit, owns large language model Qwen, and is ploughing money into cloud infrastructure.