The 2024 Hurun China AI Enterprises Top 50 list has been officially released by the Hurun Research Institute, showcasing the most influential companies in the country's artificial intelligence sector. The list is headlined by Cambricon, an AI chip company with a valuation of 238 billion RMB, which demonstrates its leading capabilities in AI technology. In second place is iFLYTEK, a prominent player in intelligent voice technology, valued at 116 billion RMB. SenseTime, specializing in machine vision and large AI models, ranks third with a valuation of 50 billion RMB.

Geographic Distribution of AI Companies

Beijing stands out as the AI hub in China, home to 20 of the companies listed, making it the leading city in terms of the number of AI firms. Shanghai and Shenzhen also feature prominently, with 9 and 8 companies, respectively. Guangzhou is home to 4 companies. Together, these cities account for over 80% of the companies on the list, underscoring their pivotal role in the development of AI technologies in China.

Focus Areas of AI Companies

The list reveals the diverse applications of artificial intelligence across several fields. Companies specializing in visual recognition dominate, with 13 firms dedicated to this area. Autonomous driving is another significant focus, with 11 companies operating in this sector. The list also includes firms involved in content generation, data analysis and decision-making, voice recognition, and computing hardware.

Hurun Report's Chairman and Chief Research Officer, Rupert Hoogewerf, emphasized that these companies aim to enhance human capabilities in five key areas: brain, eyes, ears, hands, and legs. The term brain refers to AI computing power, represented by companies like Cambricon, Horizon Robotics, and Canaan Creative. The eyes category covers machine vision companies, such as Megvii, Orbbec, and Rainbow Soft. The ears category focuses on intelligent voice companies, including iFLYTEK, Turing Robot, and Sobot. The hands section highlights AIGC large model companies like Dark Side of the Moon, Zhiyuan Huazhang, and Xiyu Smart. Lastly, legs represents the autonomous driving sector, with Didi Autonomous Driving, Pony.ai, and WeRide leading the charge.

It is important to note that the Hurun report focuses exclusively on non-embodied intelligent companies, excluding sectors such as robotics, smart homes, and smart vehicles. Major players like ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu, though successful in the AI space, were not included in the ranking as AI is not their core business.

Key Points

1. Cambricon leads the ranking with a valuation of 238 billion RMB, followed by iFLYTEK and SenseTime.
2. Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen are the primary hubs for AI enterprises, contributing to over 80% of the list.
3. The focus is on non-embodied intelligent companies, excluding robotics and smart home sectors.