The Chinese AI industry is gearing up for a significant wave of new model releases as companies like DeepSeek, ByteDance, and Alibaba prepare to launch their latest innovations during the Spring Festival holiday. This follows the disruptive impact of DeepSeek's low-cost AI model in early 2025, which challenged the global tech landscape by offering a competitive alternative to Western models at a fraction of the cost. According to Business Recorder, DeepSeek's initial release led to a $593 billion loss in Nvidia's market value, highlighting the model's substantial impact on the industry. Alfredo Montufar-Helu from Ankura Consulting noted, 'The surprise would be if some of these new models end up being underwhelming. I think there are high expectations here.' (Business Recorder, February 12, 2026).