World Model Battleground 2026: RMB 66.6 Billion in Funding in the First Seven Months, Fewer Than Five Companies Truly Doing Pretraining

In the first seven months of 2026, RMB 66.6 billion flowed into the world model sector in China's primary market, with 58 companies securing funding, but by strict pretraining criteria, no more than five are truly doing it. Overseas institutions are competing for talent with high salaries: 1X is hiring for world model roles at USD 200,000–300,000 per year plus equity, and Runway, xAI and others have also set up positions. Autonomous driving, humanoid robots and physical AI, gaming 3D, and industrial digital twins are the main application directions, and the sim-to-real gap remains the top challenge.