ByteDance moves towards Huawei chips for AI

AI models are becoming crucial across industries, with ByteDance turning to Huawei for chip support.
ByteDance looks to Huawei chips for its AI ambitions, as US restrictions force the company to seek domestic alternatives.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is reportedly developing a new AI model using chips from Chinese tech giant Huawei. The move comes as US restrictions on advanced AI chips, such as those from Nvidia, have led the company to look for domestic alternatives. Sources suggest ByteDance will use Huawei’s Ascend 910B chip to power a new large-language AI model.

Huawei’s Ascend 910B chip has already been used by ByteDance for less demanding AI tasks, but training a new AI model requires a higher level of computational power. While ByteDance continues to order significant quantities of Huawei’s chips, supply shortages are reportedly slowing down their efforts, with only a fraction of the requested units received so far.

Industry experts say AI has become essential for a range of sectors, from gaming to e-commerce, where businesses are developing custom AI models to stay competitive. ByteDance’s decision to turn to Huawei reflects the increasing importance of AI, particularly as global supply chains face challenges.

Both ByteDance and Huawei have remained tight-lipped regarding specific details of this development. A spokesperson from ByteDance denied the existence of a new AI model in progress, while Huawei did not provide any comment on the situation.