Tiktok’s mum or dad firm, ByteDance, could also be planning to spend greater than $12 billion on AI chips in 2025, the Monetary Instances reported Wednesday.
The transfer would successfully double its funding from final yr, whilst its flagship app navigates uneven political waters within the U.S.
Chinese language tech corporations face mounting strain from Beijing to spice up their native industries and cut back their dependency on Nvidia AI playing cards, particularly as U.S. sanctions forestall the businesses from exporting their greatest chips to the nation.
ByteDance is reportedly investing closely in AI, with $5.5 billion of its $12 billion price range allotted for home chip purchases from producers equivalent to Huawei and Cambricon, per to the report.
The remaining $6.8 billion could be marked for abroad AI infrastructure, although this chunk faces some severe roadblocks.
Regardless of U.S. sanctions towards the Chinese language AI trade, home manufacturing and improvement have gotten extra dominant.
Bytedance’s AI chatbot Doubao registers over 60 million month-to-month lively customers, almost half of all of the visits Chinese language customers make to AI chatbots.
Typically, the variety of month-to-month lively customers of AI apps in China doubled over the 5 months, in accordance with statements made by Chen Yan, analysis director of QuestMobile, in accordance with Yicai World.
Bytedance Denials
On Wednesday, ByteDance referred to as the FT’s report as false. An organization spokesperson reportedly advised Chinese language media, “The anonymously sourced details about our plan is inaccurate.”
“ByteDance offers nice significance to the event and funding within the discipline of synthetic intelligence, however the related price range and planning rumors aren’t right,” the spokesperson reportedly stated.
This is not the primary time ByteDance has needed to combat off rumors about its AI technique.
The Info just lately claimed the corporate was dodging U.S. sanctions by storing Nvidia chips in Southeast Asian information facilities as a substitute of bringing them to China.
ByteDance shot that down quick, telling TechCrunch that “ByteDance has not purchased H100s for its information facilities exterior of the U.S. because the related U.S. export management guidelines took impact.”
Additionally, in September, it was reported that ByteDance was cooking up its personal AI chips.
The corporate set the document straight, saying its semiconductor work was nonetheless “within the early stage” and principally centered on making its advert and advice programs run cheaper.
ByteDance made positive to notice that every one its chip initiatives play by the principles with regards to commerce laws.
ByteDance didn’t instantly reply to Decrypt’s request for touch upon its price range and planning, together with the way it plans to keep up its AI program below the strict sanctions that forestall Nvidia exports to Chinese language companies.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
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