China’s AI chip stocks face crucial test as MetaX lock-up period expires
Por Ann Cao — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Semiconductors Tech Tech Trends China’s AI chip stocks face crucial test as MetaX lock-up period expires
The Chinese AI chip firm enjoyed a blockbuster market debut in December, but its stock is now under pressure ahead of a major share release
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Ann Cao in Shanghai Published: 8:25pm, 16 Sep 2026
China is bracing for a potential massive sell-off of a high-profile artificial intelligence chip stock on Thursday, when a lock-up period affecting 14 million shares in MetaX Integrated Circuits is set to expire.
Analysts expect MetaX to face “significant selling pressure” when the restricted shares are released for trading, after the expiry of a similar lock-up period for shares in fellow AI chip firm Moore Threads last week sparked an avalanche of sales that wiped nearly 49 billion yuan (US$7.3 billion) off the company’s value in a single day.
The looming release of the MetaX shares is seen as a crucial test for China’s AI chip stocks, which have attracted huge investor interest as China strives to develop domestic challengers to US graphics processing unit behemoth Nvidia.
Moore Threads and MetaX both enjoyed blockbuster market debuts on Shanghai’s Star Market in December, with their share prices skyrocketing by several hundred per cent amid a wave of investor hype. The companies are known as part of the “four little dragons” in China’s AI chip sector alongside Biren Technology and Enflame. Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
