Chinese AI firm Moonshot files confidentially for Hong Kong IPO

Beijing-based AI startup Moonshot has filed confidentially for a Hong Kong initial public offering, potentially becoming one of the most anticipated near-term listings by a Chinese AI company. The firm, which developed the Kimi large language model, aims to raise $3 billion in the IPO. Moonshot's latest version, Kimi K3, released in July, has received positive reviews and demand, leading to discussions with Microsoft, Amazon, and Google about revenue-sharing agreements.

Moonshot has been valued at $50 billion in ongoing funding round, slightly lower than other major domestic rivals such as DeepSeek, valued at roughly $74 billion, and Z.AI, with a market capitalization of $66 billion. The timetable for the IPO is contingent on regulatory approvals, and financial details may change based on market conditions. Moonshot did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This IPO adds to the rapid fundraising pace by AI companies globally. Anthropic, developer of the Claude model, is planning to launch an offering soon and complete its listing by October. Other Chinese firms, such as Z.AI and MiniMax, have also listed in Hong Kong this year.

Moonshot's Kimi K3 model, with its 2.8-trillion parameters, is claimed to be the world's largest open-weight model, but the startup has faced scrutiny from U.S. officials due to allegations of using restricted Nvidia chips and distilling capabilities from Anthropic's models. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has hinted at adding Moonshot to a trade blacklist. Moonshot has denied claims of performance through distillation.

To gain regulatory approval, Moonshot had to modify its offshore incorporation structure, known as the red-chip structure, to an onshore China domicile before the IPO filing. Moonshot's investors include Alibaba, Tencent, IDG Capital, and HSG, formerly Sequoia Capital China. The company raised over $2 billion in May from investors like Meituan, China Mobile, and CPE, bringing its total fundraising to more than $5.5 billion. For the IPO, Moonshot is working with banks such as Goldman Sachs, CICC, and Deutsche Bank.