Chinese Big Tech giants seem to be pushing towards adopting domestic computing solutions, as Alibaba's self-built Zhenwu chip is now claimed to feature H20 level performance.
Alibaba & Baidu Have Started to Utilize In-House AI Chips For Model Training, Pivoting Away From NVIDIA
There has been a push towards pivoting away from the Western AI tech stack in China, part of which involves AI firms like Huawei, Alibaba, and Baidu developing their own custom solutions, specific to inference or training workloads. While the specific details about these chips aren’t certain, a report by The Information claims that both Alibaba and Baidu have started to utilize in-house AI chips for model training. In particular, Alibaba’s Zhenwu chip is said to feature performance similar to NVIDIA’s H20 AI chip, which is a huge achievement for the Chinese tech giant.
But Alibaba’s AI chip, for instance, is now good enough to compete with Nvidia’s H20 chip, the scaled-down chip designed for the Chinese market, according to three employees who have used Alibaba’s Zhenwu chip.
- The Information
Relative to NVIDIA's solutions in general, Chinese firms are way behind, not just in terms of technological innovations, but also in production capacity. However, when you factor in China's push towards in-house solutions and how far the nation has come in a span of a few years, the Alibaba chip is indeed a massive feat for them. Not just Alibaba, but Baidu has also employed the Kunlun P800 chip for model training and inference workloads, which shows that NVIDIA's tech stack for Chinese customers is facing massive competition.
For now, NVIDIA is facing troubles when it comes to accessing China's AI market. Beijing has placed the hurdles, which shows that the firm is in a tough spot right now. It is rumored that NVIDIA is pushing towards introducing a 'Blackwell-based' solution for the domestic markets, called the B40 AI chip, but for now, the plans aren't official, and it will likely require Jensen convincing the Trump administration to allow them to sell high-end solutions to China.
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