ByteDance Allegedly Plans To Train AI Model With HUAWEI Chips
ByteDance reportedly plans to utilise HUAWEI’s Ascend 910B chip to train a large-language AI model.
By Sukhbir Cheema — 01 Oct 2024, 04:53 PM
ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, is reportedly planning to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model powered primarily by chips from HUAWEI Technologies
This is according to three sources familiar with the matter, Reuters reported. This strategic move is driven by US restrictions prompting the social media giant to seek domestic alternatives for the advanced chips required to build its AI capabilities.
The company has been steadily diversifying its supply of AI chips, increasingly turning to domestic suppliers, ever since the US began limiting the export of advanced AI chips, such as those made by market leader Nvidia, in 2022.
These restrictions have made it challenging for ByteDance to access the high-performance chips typically required for large-scale AI development.
ByteDance’s next major step in the AI race is to utilise HUAWEI’s Ascend 910B chip to train a large-language AI model
According to the unnamed sources, this move would mark a shift in ByteDance’s AI development strategy, as it looks inward for solutions amid international restrictions.
Currently, ByteDance already uses the Ascend 910B chip for less computationally intensive tasks, primarily in AI model inference, where pre-trained models make predictions.
The new AI model ByteDance is reportedly working on will be less powerful than its existing AI model, Doubao, which has been integral to the company’s AI-driven advancements, according to one source.
Despite the reports, ByteDance spokesperson Michael Hughes denied the company is working on a new AI model
"The entire premise here is wrong. No new model is being developed," he said, pushing back against claims that ByteDance is shifting its AI development strategy.
This denial, however, comes amid an environment where companies like ByteDance are increasingly pressured to build out their AI infrastructures domestically due to US-imposed restrictions.
As the tech landscape continues to evolve, ByteDance’s reliance on local chipmakers like HUAWEI may become crucial to maintaining its AI momentum.
