ByteDance, the company behind the popular social media platform TikTok, is reportedly turning to Huawei Technologies for its AI development. This move comes in response to the U.S. imposing restrictions on the export of advanced AI chips, forcing ByteDance to seek alternative suppliers within China.
According to sources, ByteDance is planning to use Huawei’s Ascend 910B chip to train a large-language AI model. This development follows the company’s accelerated efforts in chip development since the export restrictions were implemented in 2022. While ByteDance currently utilizes the Ascend 910B for less demanding AI tasks, training AI models requires significant computational power and data, usually reliant on high-performance chips like Nvidia’s GPUs.
However, ByteDance’s spokesperson, Michael Hughes, denied these reports, stating that the development of a new model is not underway.
This decision by ByteDance reflects the escalating tech tensions between the U.S. and China. In June, ByteDance reportedly collaborated with Broadcom, a U.S. chip designer, to develop an advanced AI processor that complies with U.S. export regulations. This collaboration aimed to ensure a stable supply of high-end chips.
ByteDance’s move to develop AI capabilities is also influenced by ongoing U.S. national security concerns. In late April, President Joe Biden signed a bill that could force a sale of TikTok by ByteDance or lead to a complete ban. ByteDance argues that alternative options to banning the app should be considered.
The current AI landscape in China sees ByteDance, Alibaba Group Holding, and SenseTime dominating the generative AI infrastructure market, collectively holding over 50% of the market share. The rapid adoption of generative AI in China, spurred by the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, has further fueled ByteDance’s focus on AI development.
The use of Huawei chips for AI model training by ByteDance underscores the complex geopolitical landscape surrounding the development and adoption of advanced technologies. As these tensions continue to escalate, the future of AI development in China, and its relationship with the U.S., remains uncertain.
