Silicon Minds Technology Group, China's largest virtual digital human provider, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO. On October 31, the Nanjing-based company submitted its application to the HKEX, with CMBI and DBS Bank as joint sponsors. Founded in 2017, Silicon Minds specializes in "silicon-based labor," offering AI-driven solutions including digital human voice, video, live streaming, interactive systems, and automated content creation.
According to CIC data, Silicon Minds dominates China's digital human market with a 32.2% revenue share in 2024, ranking second globally. Backed by Tencent, Sequoia China, and CMBI, the company boasts a post-D-round valuation of RMB3.15 billion ($440M) after raising RMB200 million in May 2025. Founder Sima Huapeng controls 26.54%, while Tencent holds 16.59% as the largest institutional investor.
Despite deploying over 80,000 digital humans across telecom, finance, healthcare, and education sectors—and cultivating a 11M-follower "Sima IP" series—Silicon Minds remains unprofitable. Revenue grew from RMB223M (2022) to RMB655M (2024), yet losses persisted, totaling RMB111M, RMB95.91M, RMB112M, and RMB8.29M in H1 2025. High R&D costs (surging from RMB75.43M to RMB150M) and compute-intensive operations weigh on margins.
The digital human sector, projected to expand from RMB2B (2024) to RMB15.5B (2030) at a 40.3% CAGR, offers growth potential. However, intensifying competition from tech giants like Baidu and iFlytek has forced Silicon Minds into price wars, slashing gross margins from 45.8% (2023) to 31.6% (H1 2025). Client concentration risks also loom, with top-five customers contributing 87.5% of H1 2025 revenue—up from 16.6% in 2022.
While H1 2025 saw narrowing losses and an adjusted net profit of RMB5.29M, Silicon Minds must prove its ability to convert market leadership into sustainable profitability amid homogenized competition and escalating compute costs.
Comments