TECH

China’s Sunrise Raises Over $140 Million for AI Inference Chip Push

Published: Apr. 21, 2026 12:16 a.m. GMT+8

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The latest financing brings Sunrise’s total funding to about 4 billion yuan across seven rounds since it was spun off from SenseTime Group Inc. in late 2024

Chinese chipmaker Sunrise said Monday it raised more than 1 billion yuan ($140 million) in a new funding round to support mass production of its artificial intelligence inference graphics processing units.

The fundraising underscores continued investor enthusiasm for domestic AI chip developers as the industry shifts from building large language models to deploying them, a transition that has pushed inference computing rental prices up nearly 40% in six months.

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Chinese chipmaker Sunrise raised >1B yuan ($140M) for AI inference GPU mass production; total funding ~4B yuan since 2024 spinoff.
Qiwang S3 inference GPU, released Jan 2026, uses LPDDR6, cuts power 50%, boosts performance 5x over predecessor.
Inference demand projected 4-5x training in 2026; Biren stock +150% to HK$119.5B, Iluvatar +195% to HK$108.3B.

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Who’s Who

Sunrise: Sunrise (启望科技), spun off from SenseTime in late 2024, raised over 1B yuan ($140M) in its latest round, totaling 4B yuan across seven rounds. Led by ex-Baidu VP Wang Zhan and Wang Yong (ex-AMD), it specializes in AI inference GPUs like Qiwang S3 (Jan 2026 release), offering 5x efficiency, LPDDR6 memory, and 90% cost cuts. Funds scale production of S3 and develop S4/S5.

SenseTime Group Inc.: Sunrise, a Chinese AI chipmaker, was spun off from SenseTime Group Inc. in late 2024. Wang Yong, a co-leader, previously worked at SenseTime.

IDG Capital: IDG Capital is one of the venture capital firms, alongside state-backed investors, Gaorong Ventures, and CICC Capital, that invested nearly 3 billion yuan in Chinese chipmaker Sunrise over the past year.

Gaorong Ventures: Gaorong Ventures, along with IDG Capital and CICC Capital, invested nearly 3 billion yuan in Sunrise over the past year as part of state-backed and VC funding.

CICC Capital: CICC Capital, alongside IDG Capital and Gaorong Ventures, has invested nearly 3 billion yuan in Sunrise over the past year, contributing to the chipmaker's total funding of about 4 billion yuan across seven rounds.

Baidu Inc.: Wang Zhan, leader of Sunrise, is a former vice president at Baidu Inc. Wang Yong, co-leader, has worked at Baidu, AMD, and SenseTime.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc.: Wang Yong, co-leader of Chinese chipmaker Sunrise, previously worked at Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Baidu Inc., and SenseTime. (22 words)

Biren Technology: Biren Technology, a Hong Kong-listed Chinese AI chipmaker, has surged 150% to a market value of HK$119.5 billion ($15.3 billion) since its January debut, amid rising demand for AI inference.

Iluvatar CoreX: Iluvatar CoreX, a Hong Kong-listed Chinese AI chipmaker, saw its stock climb 195% to a market value of HK$108.3 billion, fueled by surging AI inference demand expected to outpace training fourfold to fivefold in 2026.

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