HomeTencent reshuffles large model team as Yao Shunyu takes charge of basic model
Tencent’s Hunyuan multimodal team has recently completed a significant restructuring and strategic pivot. Lu Xudong, formerly leading xAI’s multimodal understanding efforts, has joined Hunyuan to head multimodal content generation algorithms. This shift coincides with key personnel changes, including the departure of former multimodal understanding head Hu Han to pursue entrepreneurship and the arrival of Tian Yonglong, an ex-OpenAI researcher. These moves signal a major realignment in Tencent’s approach to developing multimodal large models.
Tencent Hunyuan’s multimodal evolution has centered on several core products. In late 2024, the team launched HunyuanVideo, the largest open-source text-to-video model, followed by 2025 expansions into image-to-video, custom generation, and digital human animation. Image generation capabilities have advanced from HunyuanImage to version 2.1, which supports native 2K resolution, and version 3.0, featuring 80 billion parameters, marking a shift toward industrial-grade performance. Meanwhile, Hy3D, a unified 3D model, is widely used in e-commerce and product design. In spatial intelligence, Tencent introduced Hy World 1.0, the world’s first open-source, simulation-ready immersive 3D generation model, with subsequent versions continuing to advance spatial intelligence research.
As Tencent consolidated its large language model and multimodal model divisions into the “Basic Model Department” under Yao Shunyu’s leadership, its R&D strategy underwent a fundamental shift. The current technical roadmap reflects industry debate over the role of multimodal systems in AI’s main trajectory. Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs argues that world models, as components of spatial intelligence, are central to achieving AGI. In contrast, DeepSeek advocates using visual modalities as tools to support language models, de-emphasizing standalone 3D or world model development.
Yao Shunyu’s recent strategic initiatives, including the flagship product Hy3, suggest a preference for the latter approach. He has consistently stated that AI’s next competitive edge lies in context handling and reasoning, not merely parameter count. By integrating multimodal understanding into the core model architecture and improving tool-calling stability and long-context support, Tencent aims to boost model efficiency in real-world office environments and GUI Agent applications. Lu Xudong’s addition strengthens multimodal understanding, addressing common issues like generation inconsistency and spatial instability. This restructuring highlights Tencent’s internal strategic evolution and its commitment to focusing on productivity and core capabilities in the next phase of AGI development.
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Tencent’s Hunyuan multimodal team has recently completed a significant restructuring and strategic pivot. Lu Xudong, formerly leading xAI’s multimodal understanding efforts, has joined Hunyuan to head multimodal content generation algorithms. This shift coincides with key personnel changes, including the departure of former multimodal understanding head Hu Han to pursue entrepreneurship and the arrival of Tian Yonglong, an ex-OpenAI researcher. These moves signal a major realignment in Tencent’s approach to developing multimodal large models.
Tencent Hunyuan’s multimodal evolution has centered on several core products. In late 2024, the team launched HunyuanVideo, the largest open-source text-to-video model, followed by 2025 expansions into image-to-video, custom generation, and digital human animation. Image generation capabilities have advanced from HunyuanImage to version 2.1, which supports native 2K resolution, and version 3.0, featuring 80 billion parameters, marking a shift toward industrial-grade performance. Meanwhile, Hy3D, a unified 3D model, is widely used in e-commerce and product design. In spatial intelligence, Tencent introduced Hy World 1.0, the world’s first open-source, simulation-ready immersive 3D generation model, with subsequent versions continuing to advance spatial intelligence research.
As Tencent consolidated its large language model and multimodal model divisions into the “Basic Model Department” under Yao Shunyu’s leadership, its R&D strategy underwent a fundamental shift. The current technical roadmap reflects industry debate over the role of multimodal systems in AI’s main trajectory. Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs argues that world models, as components of spatial intelligence, are central to achieving AGI. In contrast, DeepSeek advocates using visual modalities as tools to support language models, de-emphasizing standalone 3D or world model development.
Yao Shunyu’s recent strategic initiatives, including the flagship product Hy3, suggest a preference for the latter approach. He has consistently stated that AI’s next competitive edge lies in context handling and reasoning, not merely parameter count. By integrating multimodal understanding into the core model architecture and improving tool-calling stability and long-context support, Tencent aims to boost model efficiency in real-world office environments and GUI Agent applications. Lu Xudong’s addition strengthens multimodal understanding, addressing common issues like generation inconsistency and spatial instability. This restructuring highlights Tencent’s internal strategic evolution and its commitment to focusing on productivity and core capabilities in the next phase of AGI development.
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2026 Latest Best Top-rated AI Vocal Demo Tools for Track Prototypes are here on XIX.AI! This curated list features powerful, game-changing tools that go through real-world tests to ensure top performance. You’ll find a free vs paid comparison, detailed rankings, and must-try options perfect for boosting creative efficiency and helping you unlock your AI edge. Explore now to discover your perfect tool!
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