China Life invests up to 4.5 billion yuan in AI and chip fund

China Life Insurance, the country’s biggest life insurer, is channeling billions of yuan into funds targeting artificial intelligence and chip development. The move is part of a broader pattern of state-adjacent capital flowing into sectors Beijing considers strategically essential. The investment of up to 4.5 billion yuan (roughly $620 million) into an AI and chip-focused fund comes as China accelerates efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign semiconductor technology. The bigger picture behind the money By the end of 2025, the insurer’s investments in what it categorizes as “tech self-reliance” exceeded RMB 510 billion. That figure includes an RMB 11.8 billion stake in a Shanghai integrated circuit fund launched in 2023. In January 2026, China Life committed RMB 4 billion to a RMB 5.0515 billion partnership targeting AI, integrated circuits, and biomedicine. That vehicle, managed by China Life Capital, has a mandate to direct at least 70% of its capital toward AI applications, with particular interest in autonomous driving and embodied intelligence, the branch of AI that gives robots and physical systems the ability to perceive and interact with the real world. Then in July 20...