doubao

According to reports from Blue Whale Technology, the next-generation Doubao AI phone, jointly promoted by ZTE and ByteDance, may be delayed from its originally expected release in the second quarter due to issues with the filing and certification process. Sources reveal that the phone needs to pass both the large model filing with the Cyberspace Administration and the network access certification with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; currently, the product is still in the second application filing stage. If the approval goes smoothly, the new device is expected to be launched as early as July to August this year.In terms of the supply chain, the screen supplier for the next-generation Doubao phone has been changed from Shentianma to BOE, the battery will use Desay battery and ATL cells, and the manufacturing will be handled by Zhongnuo Communications, a subsidiary of Furui Electronics. Additionally, reports indicate that this product mainly adopts a technical route that deeply integrates large models into the underlying operating system, but it currently faces ecological barriers due to the lack of data access permissions from leading platforms like Tencent and Alibaba when implementing system-level agent cross-application calls.

According to the "Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily," at the 2026 Volcano Engine Force Conference, ByteDance officially released the latest flagship version 2.1Pro of the Doubao large model. Tan Dai, President of Volcano Engine, stated that the model has made breakthroughs in four dimensions: code delivery, long-range Agent tasks, multimodal understanding, and enterprise-level stable operation, possessing stronger engineering delivery capabilities and being capable of handling complex R&D tasks for enterprises. At the conference, ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo also emphasized that the company will focus on enhancing large model capabilities and firmly invest in MaaS (Model as a Service) business.The report pointed out that ByteDance's AI strategic focus is clearly shifting towards enterprise-level services. Currently, the daily token call volume of the Doubao large model has reached 180 trillion, an increase of over 1500 times since its release, and has grown more than 10 times in the past year. However, due to the bottleneck in monetization on the consumer side and high expenses (with daily computing costs reaching tens of millions and daily revenue below one million), ByteDance has accordingly adjusted its resource allocation. Meanwhile, the video generation model Seedance, primarily aimed at the B-end, has validated its commercialization potential, with current annual recurring revenue (ARR) reaching 2 billion dollars, effectively offsetting Doubao's computing costs. In addition, the new version of Seedance will also be the first in the industry to launch a 3D white membrane preview feature.

According to "Du Jia," ByteDance's AI assistant "Doubao" is ramping up efforts in the instant travel sector. Currently, the Doubao App is conducting a grayscale test of the one-click ride-hailing feature for select users in Beijing and Hangzhou. After users input their travel needs via voice in the dialogue box, the system can automatically recognize the information and match it with available vehicles. Once confirmed, users can complete the order with one click, and the related ride-hailing services are provided by Cao Cao Mobility.It is reported that Cao Cao Mobility has integrated exclusive orders for Doubao and is offering additional service fees to drivers who complete these types of orders. Last week, Cao Cao Mobility launched its new RoboX strategy in Hong Kong, announcing a comprehensive AI transformation, establishing an AI division, and proposing a "Double 100,000 Plan" to deploy 100,000 Robotaxis and 100,000 Robovans by 2030.

According to reports from major companies, ByteDance's Seed department has internally issued a notice announcing the latest adjustment to the price of "Doubao Stock," with the new price set at $14.85. Compared to the initial announcement of $13.08 in April this year, the price of this virtual equity has increased by 13.5% within two months.It is reported that "Doubao Stock" is an exclusive virtual equity of ByteDance Seed and related upstream and downstream businesses, typically opening buyback windows about twice a year. In comparison, the regular option prices of ByteDance adjusted from $229.5 to $235.5 between April and June this year (an increase of about 2.63%). The valuation growth rate of "Doubao Stock" during the same period has significantly surpassed the overall options of the company.With the continuous growth of the Doubao large model in user scale and commercial revenue, this option may break the previous fixed frequency of "adjusting every six months" and welcome more flexible and frequent pricing adjustments in the future.

According to LatePost, ByteDance is adjusting its AI resource allocation strategy, shifting its focus from consumer-facing products like "Doubao" to products that serve enterprise clients. This change is partly influenced by the high operational costs of AI and challenges to existing business models.It is reported that "Doubao" has over 200 million daily active users, but due to the enormous computational costs associated with inference and multimodal capabilities, it incurs daily expenses of tens of millions, while its monetization channels, such as e-commerce, generate less than one million daily. In contrast, ByteDance's video generation model Seedance demonstrates strong profitability. Thanks to its efficient MoE architecture (200 billion parameters) and relatively low reliance on inference computing power, Seedance 2.0 currently has a gross margin of 70%, with the vast majority of its revenue coming from enterprise clients, and its current annual recurring revenue (ARR) has reached 2 billion dollars.Insiders reveal that ByteDance's large model data review team has expanded to over 3,000 people this year, primarily to clean training data for programming models. Meanwhile, the MaaS business of Volcano Engine has also been placed in a more important position, with ByteDance's top management setting a goal to increase revenue tenfold and accelerate international expansion. Additionally, ByteDance executives recently visited Anthropic, which has achieved significant growth in both revenue and valuation through enterprise-level AI programming services, providing a reference for ByteDance's strategic adjustments.

According to news from Shanghai's Cyberspace Administration, Tesla's in-car voice large model service completed its filing on April 20. The Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily learned from informed sources that Tesla's in-car voice service will integrate the Doubao large model. It is worth mentioning that the "Tesla In-Car Voice Assistant Usage Terms" on Tesla China's official website previously indicated that the Tesla Model Y L will be equipped with both the Doubao large model and the DeepSeek model, both of which are accessed through the Volcano Engine.Among them, the Doubao large model will handle voice command functions, such as navigation settings, media playback control, air conditioning temperature adjustment, etc., and will also have a vehicle owner's manual query function; the DeepSeek model provides AI interactive services.

The Hurun Research Institute today released the "2026 Hurun Quality Life Report for High Net Worth Individuals in China," which states: "The commonly used information platforms are Xiaohongshu and Douyin, the commonly used AIs are DeepSeek and Doubao, and the most followed financial bloggers are Wu Xiaobo Channel, Xiao Lin Says, and Ren Zeping."61% of the surveyed high net worth individuals frequently use Xiaohongshu for information, which is 13 percentage points higher than Douyin. 32% of high net worth individuals frequently watch WeChat Video Accounts, and 24% frequently watch Bilibili. The enthusiasm for Eastmoney and Zhihu exceeds 20%, while Tonghuashun and Wind Info receive 14% enthusiasm.By age group, over 70% of U25 individuals use Xiaohongshu and Douyin as their most common information platforms, while U40 and those over 45 prefer to use Video Accounts. The audience for professional investment software like Eastmoney, Wind Info, and Tonghuashun is mainly U35 and U40.The top three financial bloggers that high net worth individuals most frequently follow are Wu Xiaobo Channel (38%), Xiao Lin Says (23%), and Ren Zeping (17%).The most commonly used AI assistants among the surveyed high net worth individuals are DeepSeek and Doubao. By age group, U25 most frequently uses ChatGPT, while U30, U35, U40, and U45 predominantly use DeepSeek, and respondents over 45 most frequently use Doubao.

ChainCatcher news, Tesla has recently reached a partnership with Volcano Engine, which will provide large model services for Tesla in China, helping to upgrade the interactive experience of Tesla's smart cockpit.According to the recently updated "Tesla Vehicle Voice Assistant Usage Terms" on Tesla's official website in China, the newly launched Tesla Model Y will be equipped with the Doubao large model and the DeepSeek model, both of which are integrated through Volcano Engine.Among them, the Doubao large model will handle voice command functions, such as navigation settings, media playback control, and air conditioning temperature adjustment, while also providing a vehicle owner's manual query function; the DeepSeek model will offer AI voice chat services. (Beijing News)

Chain Catcher news, according to 36Kr from multiple independent sources, ByteDance has recently established a new AI department called Flow, with the technical head being ByteDance's Vice President of Technology, Hong Dingkun.A knowledgeable source stated that the business leader of this new department is Zhu Wenjia, the head of the Byte large model team. Within the Byte circle, Flow has recently released a recruitment post for active positions, and social recruitment has already started for some time. In the post, it stated that it is an AI innovation business team under ByteDance, which has already launched two products, Doubao and Cici, both domestically and overseas, and is incubating multiple AI-related innovative products.