Z.ai's AI Model Runs Entirely on Chinese Chips, Shares Surge

Chinese AI company Z.ai has made headlines after releasing a new model called GLM-5.3-Flash, which runs entirely on homegrown semiconductors.

The low-cost version of Z.ai's flagship model ranks 10th on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index and was released under the code name 'Ox Alpha' on August 20.

Z.ai claims to have used 100,000 China-made chips to handle all online requests for GLM-5.3-Flash, including when it was first released.

The model also ranked first by usage in the last week on the global OpenRouter platform.

Nvidia has struggled to sell its chips to China due to restrictions from Washington and Beijing.

Meanwhile, Huawei and other Chinese companies have ramped up efforts to build alternatives.