Chinese artificial intelligence firm Zhipu AI kicked off a share sale on Tuesday to raise HK$4.35 billion (US$560 million), moving closer to becoming the first large language model (LLM) developer listed in Hong Kong amid a surge of technology initial public offerings (IPOs).
The start-up, officially known as Knowledge Atlas Technology and marketed overseas as Z.ai, set its offer price at HK$116.20 for more than 37 million shares, with 10 per cent allocated to retail investors. The company plans to debut on January 8.
With rival Minimax Group still in the pipeline, Zhipu is on track to be the first Chinese AI LLM developer traded on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
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Zhipu expects net proceeds of HK$4.17 billion from its IPO, assuming no over-allotment option is exercised, based on the offer price of HK$116.20 per share. The company’s post-listing market valuation is estimated at HK$51.16 billion.
The development comes as Chinese graphics processing unit (GPU) developers Moore Threads Technology and MetaX Integrated Circuits electrified Shanghai’s capital markets in early December, surging 425 per cent and 693 per cent, respectively, on their debut.
Prudential Brokerage associate director Alvin Cheung Chi-wai said Zhipu’s retail bookbuilding could attract more than 400,000 retail investors in Hong Kong amid strong investment sentiment for tech shares. However, he cautioned that Zhipu’s first-day performance was unlikely to replicate the gains of Moore Threads and MetaX, citing differences in the investment environments between Hong Kong and mainland China.