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Z.ai shares tumble over 10% after $5 billion fundraising, its second major raise in two months

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Why This Matters

Z.ai's $5 billion raise — coming just two months after a $4 billion placement — shows how much capital Chinese AI model builders still need to burn on training and inference infrastructure, and how willing public markets are to fund it, at a price. The 10% discount on new shares and the sympathetic drop in rival MiniMax signal investor fatigue over dilution in the sector, even as Z.ai touts models running entirely on domestic chips.

Key Takeaways
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Information on Zhipu's AI service on the web, dubbed Z.ai, arranged on a computer in Shanghai, Jan. 7, 2026.

Shares of Chinese artificial intelligence company Z.ai tumbled more than 10% on Monday after the company announced plans to raise about $5 billion through a new share placement and convertible bond sale, marking its second major fundraising in two months.

The Beijing-based company plans to issue up to 21.97 million new shares at HK$714 each, raising gross proceeds of about HK$15.68 billion ($2 billion). The placement price represents a 10% discount to Z.ai's Friday closing price of HK$793.

Separately, Z.ai plans to issue 20.14 billion yuan ($3 billion) in zero-coupon convertible bonds due in 2027. The bonds will initially be convertible at HK$892.50 per share, a 12.5% premium to Friday's closing price.

The company said proceeds from the fundraising will support the development of its next-generation AI models, including research and development, training and inference infrastructure, and commercialization.

The latest fundraising comes just two months after Z.ai raised about $4 billion through a share placement in July.

Last month, Z.ai shares jumped after the company launched a new AI model that it said runs entirely on Chinese-made chips. The company claimed it used 100,000 domestically made chips to handle online requests for the model.

Shares of its domestic rival MiniMax were also down, falling about 5% on Monday.

— CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report

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