Xiaoice
Xiaoice (小冰) is a Beijing-based AI company spun off from Microsoft that builds Chinese-language conversational AI for emotional companionship and enterprise virtual employees. Its products include the Xiaoice Island consumer app, X Studio music tooling, and the Hi1 AI Receptionist hardware launched with Alibaba's DingTalk.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersBeijing, China
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Xiaoice does
Xiaoice (小冰) is a Beijing-headquartered AI company that originated as Microsoft's Chinese-language chatbot project and was spun off as an independent entity in 2020. The company builds conversational AI with a focus on natural speech processing, emotional companionship, and generative dialogue, and operates the Xiaoice Island (小冰岛) consumer application alongside integrations into third-party platforms and OEM devices, reaching a reported 660 million global users. Its product surface spans the core Xiaoice chatbot, the X Studio music creation tool developed with NetEase Cloud Music (网易云音乐·X Studio), and an enterprise Business Solutions line that delivers AI-driven virtual employees for customer service and workflow automation.
Xiaoice monetizes through a hybrid model combining consumer platform services (freemium access via Xiaoice Island and third-party apps), AI technology licensing to device manufacturers and industry partners, and enterprise solutions sold on a subscription basis. The most recent and strategically significant commercial move is the December 2025 launch of the Hi1 AI Receptionist hardware product in partnership with Alibaba's DingTalk, extending the platform into enterprise visitor management with facial recognition, multilingual workflows, and autonomous routing. The company operates with 51-100 employees, is incorporated as Beijing Hongmian Xiaoice Technology Co., Ltd. (北京红棉小冰科技有限公司), and has raised approximately $215M in total funding across a 2021 Series A led by Hillhouse Capital (achieving unicorn status at over $1B) and a $138M round in late 2022 aimed at virtual employee development. It holds a Chinese Wenwangwen (文网文) internet culture operating license and serves primary markets in China and Japan, with stated intent to pursue an IPO.
Xiaoice firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Xiaoice
- Legal name
- 北京红棉小冰科技有限公司 (Beijing Hongmian Xiaoice Technology Co., Ltd.)
- Website
- https://xiaoice.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Xiaoice (小冰) is a Beijing-based AI company spun off from Microsoft that builds Chinese-language conversational AI for emotional companionship and enterprise virtual employees. Its products include the Xiaoice Island consumer app, X Studio music tooling, and the Hi1 AI Receptionist hardware launched with Alibaba's DingTalk.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Xiaoice industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Conversational AI Platform
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Conversational AI Platforms (chat/voice bots, orchestration) (HDAAAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Contact Center Speech AI (agent assist, IVR automation) (HDAAAFAL), Agents & Autonomous Workflows (Tool Use, Planning, Multi-Agent) (HDAAACAF), AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ), AI Integration & Orchestration Platforms (Connectors, Workflow, iPaaS for AI) (HDAEANAI)
Keywords
Where Xiaoice is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beijing
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Xiaoice business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations
Revenue model
- AI Technology Licensing: Providing AI technology to various industries and integrating into devices globally through partnerships and licensing arrangements.
- Enterprise AI Solutions: Virtual employee technology and AI-powered hardware products (Hi1 AI Receptionist) sold to businesses for automation.
- Consumer Platform Services: Xiaoice Island app and third-party platform integrations serving 660 million users globally.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Xiaoice product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Xiaoice operates an AI chatbot platform providing conversational AI with emotional companionship capabilities to over 660 million global users through the Xiaoice Island mobile app and third-party platform integrations. The company also develops enterprise AI solutions, including AI-driven virtual employees for business automation and AI-powered hardware products such as the Hi1 AI Receptionist (launched in partnership with Alibaba's DingTalk) for visitor management and reception workflows.
Product overview
Xiaoice is an AI companion platform offering both consumer and enterprise solutions. The core product is the Xiaoice AI chatbot (小冰), an emotional companion with over 660 million global users accessible via third-party platforms and the dedicated Xiaoice Island (小冰岛) app. The platform includes music creation tools (NetEase Cloud Music X Studio) and enterprise Business Solutions featuring AI-driven virtual employees. The recent Hi1 AI Receptionist hardware, launched in partnership with Alibaba's DingTalk, extends the platform into enterprise hardware for reception automation and visitor management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 小冰岛 (Xiaoice Island): AI companion application platform
- X Studio
Products and services
- Xiaoice (小冰) Core AI chatbot platform providing conversational AI for emotional support, companionship, and general assistance. Has over 660 million global users and integrates into various devices worldwide.
- Xiaoice Island (小冰岛)
Quantifiable outcome
- 660 million users globally
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Xiaoice
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Xiaoice technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature4 records
Xiaoice partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- DingTalk (Alibaba)flagshipStrategic partnership to launch Hi1, an AI-powered hardware product designed for enterprise reception automation. The device handles visitor interactions, facial recognition, inquiries, and traffic routing with customizable workflows and multilingual interactions.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Xiaoice competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Replika: AI companion chatbot focused on emotional support and relationship-style dialogue; directly comparable to Xiaoice's core emotional-companion positioning and consumer GTM motion.
- Character.AI: Conversational AI platform for personalized AI characters and roleplay; comparable in consumer-facing generative dialogue product, large user base, and freemium monetization.
- iFlytek: Leading Chinese conversational AI and speech technology vendor; directly comparable as a Chinese-language speech/conversational AI provider serving both consumer and enterprise customers.
- Kore.ai: Enterprise conversational AI platform for virtual agents and customer service automation; comparable to Xiaoice's Business Solutions and Hi1 AI Receptionist enterprise offerings.
- PolyAI: Voice-first conversational AI for enterprise customer service and call automation; comparable to Xiaoice's contact-center and reception automation offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Baidu: Operates ERNIE Bot, a major Chinese conversational AI product bundled with its search and super-app ecosystem; broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities to Xiaoice's chatbot and enterprise AI.
- Alibaba (Qwen / Tongyi): Operates Qwen/Tongyi LLM and DingTalk enterprise platform, both of which overlap with Xiaoice's conversational AI and enterprise virtual employee offerings; also Xiaoice's Hi1 distribution partner.
- Anthropic: Foundation model provider whose Claude is increasingly embedded into enterprise conversational AI workflows; comparable as a model-layer competitor to Xiaoice's technology licensing business.
Emerging players
- Soul Machines: Digital human and emotional AI provider for enterprise customer experience; comparable to Xiaoice's emotional AI and autonomous virtual employee capabilities.
Others
- NetEase: Existing investor and integration partner via NetEase Cloud Music / X Studio; comparable as a Chinese-language platform that distributes Xiaoice technology and as a relevant ecosystem partner for cross-platform distribution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Xiaoice social profiles
Digital presenceXiaoice compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Xiaoice financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Xiaoice leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Xiaoice funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Xiaoice M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Xiaoice
What does Xiaoice do?
Xiaoice operates an AI chatbot platform providing conversational AI with emotional companionship capabilities to over 660 million global users through the Xiaoice Island mobile app and third-party platform integrations. The company also develops enterprise AI solutions, including AI-driven virtual employees for business automation and AI-powered hardware products such as the Hi1 AI Receptionist (launched in partnership with Alibaba's DingTalk) for visitor management and reception workflows.
Is Xiaoice a public or private company?
Xiaoice is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Xiaoice founded?
Xiaoice was founded in 2020. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Xiaoice based?
Xiaoice is headquartered in Beijing, China, in the Asia region.
How does Xiaoice make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. AI Technology Licensing is the primary driver. The others are enterprise AI Solutions and consumer Platform Services.
Who are Xiaoice's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Replika, Character.AI, iFlytek, Kore.ai and PolyAI. Broad incumbents are Baidu, Alibaba (Qwen / Tongyi) and Anthropic. Soul Machines is listed as an emerging player. NetEase is listed as an others.
Does Xiaoice have an API?
No public API is recorded for Xiaoice.
What industry is Xiaoice in?
Xiaoice's product category is Conversational AI Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAFAC, Conversational AI Platforms (chat/voice bots, orchestration), with a secondary code of HDAAAFAL, Contact Center Speech AI (agent assist, IVR automation). Its NAICS code is 51821 and its SIC code is 7372.