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French industrial software giant Dassault Systèmes has launched its first venture capital fund in China to invest in artificial intelligence and emerging sectors. The company’s CEO, currently visiting China to strengthen connections with local innovative companies, shared these details.
The initial phase of the fund secured 750 million CNY (approximately $109.7 million) and is gearing up to launch its first investment project. A second funding round of similar size is anticipated to follow next month. The primary focus of the investments will be on advanced technologies such as physical AI, embodied intelligence, low-altitude economy, and intelligent manufacturing.
During a three-day visit to six Chinese cities, the CEO engaged with various domestic tech companies, including Xpeng. Additionally, the company’s investment team has recently met with hundreds of startups across the country, many of which are potential members of the firm’s global innovation ecosystem.
The company aims to support these startups in developing industrial-grade global models and assist them in expanding internationally. In July, it opened its first Chinese 3DEXPERIENCE open innovation laboratory in Shanghai to bolster support for local startups. This facility, the fifth of its kind worldwide, serves companies in advanced manufacturing, life sciences, new materials, and green energy sectors.
China is recognized as a leader in large-scale AI applications. The CEO highlighted the latest version of a model released by DeepSeek, expressing enthusiasm about collaborating with Chinese AI model developers.
“I’ve tested more than 80 foundational models worldwide, probably around 20 in China,” he said. “DeepSeek is one of them. We see potential with DeepSeek, but there are some limitations, mainly because they are very language-focused and not enough physics-oriented.”
Despite these challenges, the company has identified other Chinese players with similar technological DNA and looks forward to working with them.
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