Li Yin, the former CTO of Huawei's Pangu model, has launched a startup named Xirang Kaiwu Technology, focusing on world models. The company, registered on July 1, 2026, in Shenzhen, has an initial capital of 1 million yuan and a valuation of 1.5 billion yuan following its recent funding round. Li holds a 55% stake, making him the largest shareholder and controlling person.
The startup aims to develop world models that enable AI to learn and predict the physical world's temporal and spatial evolution, providing a simulation training foundation for embodied intelligence and autonomous driving. During his tenure at Huawei, Li highlighted the challenges of insufficient training data and fragmented task scenarios as significant barriers to the commercialization of embodied intelligence.
Li's departure is part of a broader trend, with several key figures from Huawei's Pangu model team leaving to pursue their ventures. Notably, in March 2026, Wang Yunhe, another leader in the Pangu model, founded Yuanlilv Dong, focusing on AI agents. The world model sector has seen over 20 new startups registered in the first seven months of 2026, with Li being the sixth Huawei executive to enter the embodied intelligence field this year.
Editor's Note
Li Yin's transition from Huawei to founding Xirang Kaiwu Technology highlights a significant shift in the robotics and AI landscape, particularly in the world models domain. As the industry faces challenges related to data supply and task fragmentation, the emergence of new startups may drive innovation and address these critical issues. Observers should monitor how these developments impact the competitive landscape and technology adoption in embodied intelligence applications.
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