(March 10): China’s enthusiasm for OpenClaw is igniting a stock rally in local technology firms moving swiftly to embrace the open-source artificial intelligence (AI) programme.
Tencent Holdings Ltd shares rose as much as 6.2% on Tuesday in Hong Kong after the internet giant launched WorkBuddy, an AI agent for workplace tasks that’s fully compatible with OpenClaw. Knowledge Atlas Technology JSC Ltd, known as Zhipu, surged as much as 16% after launching AutoClaw, a local version of the viral software. MiniMax Group Inc, which launched its own agent earlier, jumped 15%.
Launched in November, OpenClaw is an agent that leverages large language models including Anthropic PBC’s Claude to perform daily functions. The tool has garnered a cultlike status in China, and provided a fresh tailwind for the local AI boom kicked off by the launch of DeepSeek more than a year ago.
“OpenClaw has created a social media buzz, with companies like Tencent encouraging everyone to install it,” said Shen Meng, a director of Beijing-based investment bank Chanson & Co. “It’s a very good opportunity for the local AI model developers to attract users to their existing ecosystems.”
The AI agent has seen an exponential global popularity boom this year, surpassing Linux on the GitHub all-time star leaderboard in just a few months. Users in China have been particularly eager to get their hands on it.
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Tencent offered free installation of OpenClaw on its cloud platform last week, drawing a long queue of people outside of its headquarters, according to local media. Zhipu countered in a WeChat promotion for its new AutoClaw on Tuesday, offering prospective customers a free trial without having to wait in line.
The frenzy has helped drive up shares of AI model developer MiniMax nearly 600% stock since its listing just two months ago. It’s now worth about US$44 billion ($56.06 billion), poised to surpass Baidu Inc’s market value. The company launched MaxClaw, an agent built on OpenClaw, in late February.
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Chinese software makers including UCloud Technology Co and QingCloud Technologies Corp extended gains after surging around 20% on Monday as local government agencies issued policies to encourage use of the OpenClaw.
The involvement of Tencent is seen as key, with Citigroup Inc hailing the launch of WorkBuddy as a “potential inflection point” for AI agents in China. It’s also proving a lift for the stock, which had been battered recently by concerns over high spending and potential business disruption from the spread of AI.
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