ModelBest releases BitCPM-CANN, first 1.58-bit ternary LLM trained on Ascend 910B NPUs, using 6× less VRAM than BF16.

Chinese AI startup ModelBest raised tens of millions, reaching a $1B+ valuation to scale its on-device foundation models for smartphones and IoT.

Greetings from a world where…

February 5 — ModelBest officially announced today that its first AI hardware product, Pinea Pi, an AI-native edge intelligent development board, will be launched later this year. Designed to help developers rapidly build edge AI hardware, Pinea Pi is positioned as an accessible platform that even users without a technical background can quickly get started with. According to ModelBest, the name “Pinea Pi” is inspired by The Three-Body Problem.

February 5 — ModelBest officially announced today that its first AI hardware product, Pinea Pi, an AI-native edge intelligent development board, will be launched later this year. Designed to help developers rapidly build edge AI hardware, Pinea Pi is positioned as an accessible platform that even users without a technical background can quickly get started with. According to ModelBest, the name “Pinea Pi” is inspired by The Three-Body Problem.

A Intel firmou parcerias com a startup chinesa de inteligência artificial ModelBest e com a desenvolvedora de chips automotivos Black Sesame Technologies

At Auto Shanghai 2025, Intel unveils new auto chip and expanded customer collaborations with ModelBest and Black Sesame Technologies.

In this article: **To:** Everyone who drives **From:** Auto Shanghai 2025, Shanghai, China | April 23, 2025 What if your car could understand the complexities of human language and the behaviors to complete full requests while you are out and about in a way that’s personal and secure? An example: You’re driving on your daily errands and you tell the car to text your friend tonight’s movie reviews and times. To do this, the vehicle goes into a movie fan app; gathers the links; goes to the texting app, pulls up the friend’s contact and sends all the details. Here at the Auto Shanghai event, ModelBest shows off what you need to do just that. Its GUI Intelligent Agent brings to life a true in-the-vehicle large language model (LLM). Powered by Intel’s software-defined vehicle (SDV) SoC and Intel® Arc™ graphics for automotive, it enables offline, AI-enhanced voice controls and personalized interactions. It works by accurately understanding the way we speak naturally, what we are asking for, and completes the task – without the need for fiddling with complicated buttons while driving. The agent also runs locally in the car – without online connectivity to the cloud (unless it’s needed for the movie app) – saving precious data, reducing round-trip latency, and ensuring your privacy and security concerns are met. **P.S.** Intel Accelerates Software-Defined Vehicles with Next-Gen SoC and Partners | Intel at Auto Shanghai 2025 (Press Kit)

An elite group of companies known as the “Six Tigers”—Stepfun, Zhipu, Minimax, Moonshot, 01.AI, and Baichuan—are generally considered to be at the forefront of China’s AI sector. But alongside them, research-focused firms like DeepSeek and ModelBest continue to grow in...

ModelBest’s GUI Intelligent Agent brings a true on-device large language model to life – powered by Intel’s software-defined vehicle SoC and Intel Arc graphics for automotive.

ModelBest’s MiniCPM5-2B is an innovative AI model designed for edge devices. It enhances computing capabilities while reducing costs and safeguarding data privacy.

Discover how ModelBest, a leading Chinese AI firm, is pioneering Recursive Self-Improvement to enhance AI development and efficiency.

Chinese AI start-up ModelBest has kicked off its pre-initial public offering (IPO) tutoring process for a listing in mainland China, capitalising on growing demand for compact artificial intelligence models that run locally on devices like smartphones and laptops, and in cars. The four-year-old company also appears to be banking on its small-model strategy to overcome China’s acute shortage of advanced American computing chips by training lightweight systems optimised for domestic...

by Feiran Lyu

ModelBest has completed a new funding round worth several hundred million RMB (USD tens of millions), co-led by Shenzhen Capital Group and Inovance Capital, with participation from multiple institutional investors. Earlier this year, the company also closed a round led by China Telecom, bringing its total fundraising in Q1 2026 to over RMB 1 billion (USD 140 million). With three rounds completed over the past year, ModelBest has now entered the ranks of China’s foundation model unicorns.