China’s Zhipu AI Sets Record with Fastest API Output Speed

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Shares of the artificial intelligence company soared to an all-time high today after announcing the release of a new application programming interface (API) for its latest model, which it claims has set a new global record for output speed among AI firms.

The stock closed up nearly 27%, reaching HKD1,282 (approximately USD163.61) after briefly hitting HKD1,341, boosting the company’s market valuation to HKD570 billion (about USD72.7 billion). Since its debut earlier this year, the stock has increased more than tenfold.

The company introduced the high-speed variant of its newest coding model, GLM-5.1, labeled “GLM-5.1-highspeed,” available to select business clients. The new API boasts a response speed of 400 tokens per second, which the firm compares to an engineer completing a task that normally takes three days, all in the time it takes to sip a cup of coffee.

Programming is among the most speed-sensitive applications for AI. Tasks often involve multiple rounds of model calls, and a delay of even a few seconds per response can extend the entire process by more than ten minutes. As a result, API speed is critical for long-horizon tasks—when an AI operates continuously to achieve complex objectives.

Earlier this year, the founder of the company highlighted that breakthroughs in AI solving long-term, complex tasks are most likely to happen now. Such progress could speed up the transformation from small, single-person businesses to fully autonomous companies, leading to AI agent systems becoming the next major technological frontier.

Founded in 2019, the company specializes in general artificial intelligence. It became the first AI startup globally to go public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange earlier this year. Last year, revenue more than doubled, increasing 132% to CNY724 million (around USD106.6 million), although losses also widened by 59%, reaching CNY4.7 billion (approximately USD691.5 million).

Considering the company’s high ranking in programming capabilities and the importance of strong coding performance in rapidly growing AI agent products, its growth prospects are significant. A recent research note from Guosheng Securities assigned a price-to-sales ratio of 75 times for 2027.