TikTok owner ByteDance on Wednesday released an update to its flagship AI model as a global race intensified to create AI models capable of tackling complex problems.

ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, has earmarked over 150 billion yuan ($20.64 billion) in capital expenditure for this year, much of which will be centred on artificial intelligence, two people briefed on the matter said.

ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has earmarked over 150 billion yuan ($20.64 billion) for capital expenditures in 2025, with a substantial portion of the funds being directed toward artificial intelligence,

ByteDance released Doubao-1.5-pro, an upgrade to its flagship AI model, which it claims outperforms OpenAI's o1 in AIME.

The AI race gets frantic as Alibaba throws down a challenge at DeepSeek just days after ByteDance launches its own new AI model.

The development comes as the Beijing-based company faces pressure from the US government to sell its social media app TikTok.

The Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek has rattled markets with claims its latest AI model performs on a par with those of OpenAI, despite using less advanced, more energy efficient computer chips.

ByteDance has launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered code editor in competition with American leaders like Cursor and Microsoft's Visual Studio Code, just after US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law requiring the company to divest TikTok.

TikTok parent ByteDance has launched an updated version of Doubao, China's most popular consumer-facing artificial intelligence (AI) app, as the tech giant accelerates AI development despite US export restrictions on advanced chips.

According to the Financial Times, ByteDance is planning to invest over $12 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure in 2025. Sources familiar

ByteDance's Doubao has emerged as a leading contender in China's competitive AI chatbot landscape. In December 2024, Doubao achieved an impressive 29% growth in downloads, reaching 9.9 million—the highest among all AI chatbot apps in the country,