ByteDance Partners with Huawei to Advance AI Development
In a strategic move to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is collaborating with Huawei to develop a new AI model utilizing Huawei's Ascend 910P chip. This partnership comes as ByteDance faces increasing restrictions from the United States, compelling the company to pivot back to China for sourcing essential technology.
Navigating U.S. Restrictions and AI Innovation
Since the U.S. government imposed export restrictions on advanced AI chips, including those from Nvidia, ByteDance has been actively diversifying its chip sources. The collaboration with Huawei marks a significant step in this direction, as the company aims to leverage domestic technology to enhance its AI offerings. Sources indicate that the Ascend 910P chip will primarily be used for reasoning tasks that require lower computational power, including pre-trained AI models, although the new model's capabilities will be less advanced than ByteDance's existing AI solutions.
ByteDance's Growing Influence in AI Chip Market
ByteDance's intensified focus on artificial intelligence has positioned it as one of Huawei's largest customers for AI chips. The company is also a significant buyer of Nvidia's H20 AI chip, specifically designed for the Chinese market amidst ongoing trade tensions. Furthermore, ByteDance has emerged as Microsoft's largest customer in Asia for Nvidia chips accessed through cloud computing, showcasing its robust demand for cutting-edge AI technology.
