HUGE AI News: Z.ai IPO + GLM 5 Confirmed + 2 New Models This Week

Something happened today that's going to change the AI industry. Z.ai, the company behind the GLM models, just became the first large language model company in the world to go public. But that's not even the biggest news.

Alongside their IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Z.ai announced that GLM 5 is already in training. On top of that, two more models are dropping THIS WEEK – a free large language model and a completely new image generation model.

This could be the moment where China pulls ahead of OpenAI and Anthropic in the AI race.

In this video, I break down everything: Who is Z.ai? What happened with the IPO? When can we expect GLM 5? And what do the two new models mean for AI coding, vibe coding, and the entire LLM landscape?

If you're using GLM 4.7 for AI coding or following the open-source AI scene, this is massive news. Z.ai is not a random startup – they built China's first 10 billion parameter model, the first open-source 100 billion parameter model, and they're backed by both Alibaba AND Tencent (who almost never invest in the same company).

OpenAI themselves called Z.ai a "fast-rising rival" last year. Now they just raised half a billion dollars for research and development, with GLM 5 already cooking.

The AI race just got a lot more interesting.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - The News That Changes Everything
0:36 - What Is Z.ai? (Background)
1:46 - OpenAI Called Them a "Fast-Rising Rival"
2:07 - The Numbers ($6.7B Market Cap, $558M Raised)
3:06 - Z.ai's Current Financials (Losses vs Revenue)
4:01 - When Will GLM 5 Drop? (My Prediction)
5:10 - Two New Models Dropping THIS WEEK
7:32 - MiniMax IPO Tomorrow?

📈 Z.AI IPO KEY NUMBERS

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| IPO Price | 116 HKD/share |
| Opening Price | 120-131 HKD |
| First Day Gain | +13% |
| Market Cap | $6.7 Billion USD |
| Money Raised | $558 Million USD |
| Oversubscription | 1000x |

💰 Z.AI FINANCIALS (H1 2025)

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Revenue | $27 Million |
| Net Loss | $329 Million |
| R&D Allocation | 70% of IPO funds |

This is normal for AI companies at this stage – OpenAI and Anthropic are also burning billions. The question isn't who's profitable now, it's who ends up with the best model.

🚀 GLM 5 – WHAT WE KNOW

Confirmed by Tang Yi (Co-founder & Chief Scientist):
GLM 5 is already in training
Focus on real-world tasks, not just benchmarks
Likely targeting AI agents and practical applications

*My Timeline Prediction:*
Training started: Late December / Early January
Base training complete: Late January / Early February
Testing, safety, fine-tuning: February
*Expected Release: March 2026* (possibly late February)

🆕 TWO NEW MODELS THIS WEEK

*1. Free Language Model*
Probably 30-80B parameters
Likely competing with Qwen 3 Next (80B)
Good enough for agentic work
FREE to use

*2. Image Generation Model*
Z.ai's first image model
My prediction: Between Nanobanana and Nanobanana Pro quality
Competing with Seedream 4.5
Possibly open-source
If priced at 1-2 cents per generation = game changer

I'll test both as soon as they drop – subscribe to see the results.

🏢 WHO IS Z.AI?

Founded: 2019 at Tsinghua University (the MIT of China)
Founders: LLM researchers working on this before ChatGPT existed
Achievements:
China's first 10B parameter model
First open-source 100B parameter model
First AI agent that can control devices
Investors: Alibaba, Tencent, Chinese government funds
Recognition: OpenAI called them a "fast-rising rival"

The fact that Alibaba AND Tencent both invested is huge – they almost never back the same company.

📰 ALSO IN THE NEWS

*MiniMax IPO possibly tomorrow*
Another major Chinese AI company
Known for: LLMs, TTS/voice models, video generation
Would be the second LLM company to go public

The Chinese AI industry is making moves. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are definitely paying attention.

🎯 WHY THIS MATTERS FOR AI CODING & VIBE CODING

If you're using GLM 4.7 for vibe coding (like I am), this is huge:
More funding = faster development
GLM 5 focused on "real-world tasks" = better coding
Free models = more accessible AI coding
Image model = potential integration in workflows

Z.ai is building the infrastructure for the next generation of AI tools.

🏷️ TAGS
#GLM5 #ZAI #AINews #LLMIPO #ChinaAI #OpenSourceAI #AICoding #VibeCoding #GLM #AIRace #Anthropic #OpenAI #Gemini #AIIndustry #TechNews #MachineLearning #LargeLanguageModels #AIInvesting #TechIPO #AIModels

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When the new Z.ai models drop this week, I'll test them immediately. Don't miss it.