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| Xiaomi's pavilion at the Shanghai exhibition |
Xiaomi Enters China's AI Race with a Rival to DeepSeek
“MiMo” for Logical Reasoning Outperforms open AI and Alibaba Models in Key Benchmarks
Xiaomi has unveiled its open-source artificial intelligence model, joining a growing list of major Chinese tech firms aiming to make a mark in the emerging AI field, which is receiving strong support from Beijing.
The smartphone and electric vehicle maker announced its logical reasoning model “MiMo,” which simulates human problem-solving, similar to the “R1” model developed by DeepSeek. According to statistics shared by Xiaomi on the WeChat platform, MiMo outperformed OpenAI’s “o1-mini” model and Alibaba Group’s “Qwen” model in key benchmark tests — though Bloomberg has not independently verified these results.
Xiaomi introduced MiMo just one day after Alibaba revealed the latest version of its flagship AI model, highlighting the intensifying competition among Chinese firms. This race was sparked by Deep Seek’s surprise release of R1 — a model noted for its high efficiency and low cost. On Wednesday, Xiaomi, known recently for its smartphones and electric vehicles, also announced its intention to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI), a form of AI that rivals human thinking.
Xiaomi’s stock rose by more than 5% in Hong Kong, while shares in Chinese AI companies also climbed on Wednesday after widespread state media coverage of President Xi Jinping’s visit to an AI startup incubator and accelerator — a signal of Beijing’s continued backing of domestic tech capable of competing with the U.S.
In a WeChat post, Xiaomi stated: “MiMo is the first product of our newly established core AI model team. Although adopting the ambition for large models in 2025 may seem late, we believe AGI is a long-term endeavor.”
While Xiaomi executives have reportedly discussed investing in AI in the past, MiMo is the first tangible product from those conversations. This move marks the company’s second-largest initiative in two years, following its push into affordable home appliances like robotic vacuums and rice cookers. Led by founder and billionaire Lei Jun, Xiaomi committed $10 billion through 2024 to the highly competitive electric vehicle sector — a venture he has described as his final entrepreneurial journey.
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