ByteDance is apparently working on a brand new AI model and Huawei could play a critical part in the hardware infrastructure. TikTok’s parent company could be used to train and develop the upcoming AI model. So here’s what we know so far.
ByteDance turns to Huawei for new AI
According to a Reuters report, the US export restrictions have been a hurdle for ByteDance, making it impossible for them to acquire NVIDIA chips. ByteDance’s AI project was initially using NVIDIA’s H20 AI chips that were designed for the Chinese market to avoid the US government’s restrictions. For those unaware, the US is being selective on which AI chips can be purchased by Chinese entities to stagger China’s tech growth.
So to circumvent this restriction, TikTok’s parent company is turning to Huawei to help train and develop its AI. The new model would employ chips from Huawei instead of NVIDIA. ByteDance has reportedly ordered 100,000 Ascend 910B chips from Huawei this year. Although, it has only received around 30,000 units so far. To recall, Huawei’s Ascend 910B chips are apparently better than NVIDIA’s A100 chips.
It seems to have better GPU performance and energy efficiency. However, the shortage of chips appears to have slowed down the AI model development project. Interestingly, while ByteDance was navigating its way through the US government’s restrictions to get NVIDIA chips, this report hints at its plans to reduce its reliance on US technologies. It is worth noting that this is still just an unconfirmed report, so take this news with a pinch of salt for now. Earlier this year, ByteDance had also unveiled Coze, which was a platform similar to OpenAI but with an innovative spin. It could be used to create and deploy AI chatbots by users who do not have any coding skills.
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