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alibaba The Chinese tech giant on Tuesday unveiled a new chip designed for agent functionality as it ramps up its efforts in semiconductors to accelerate its AI push.
The XuanTie C950 is a type of chip called a central processing unit (CPU), which Alibaba says can handle multi-step tasks performed by AI agents. The term agent refers to an AI system that can perform tasks on behalf of a user.
These CPUs are installed in data centers and are designed for inference, the stage where AI models can actually be executed.
When it comes to semiconductors and AI, much of the focus so far has been on graphics processing units (GPUs), a category dominated by the tech giants. Nvidia. GPUs are essential for training large AI models because they can perform multiple calculations at once.
The CPU, on the other hand, executes general-purpose tasks sequentially. This is important in a world where agents are designed to perform specific actions.
Alibaba’s DAMO Academy, which developed the chip design, said the XuanTie CPU “can be customized for specific inference patterns, supporting customers to tune the chip for their unique applications.”
The Chinese tech giant added that compared to some mainstream products, its CPUs offer “more than 30% increased performance thanks to flexible customization for specific use cases.”
The XuanTie C950 is based on the RISC-V architecture and is a rival to the CPU blueprint created by the British company. arm. While companies pay royalties to use Arm’s CPU designs, RISC-V is essentially a free-to-use blueprint.
Alibaba Chip Initiatives
Alibaba has been building up its semiconductor capabilities in recent years, mainly through its T-head chip division, and this year released an AI chip called the Zhenwu 810E. Alibaba does not sell these chips to other companies, but rather sells AI services through its own cloud computing division.
Chelsea Tam, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, said the importance of Xuantie CPUs “mainly lies in improving supply chain resiliency and lowering overall costs in the face of compute power shortages.”
“However, we do not expect this new chip launch to have a significant impact on Alibaba’s overall revenue, as production capacity constraints make it difficult for Alibaba to significantly increase chip production.”
Due to U.S. export restrictions on Nvidia chips, Chinese companies face supply constraints on access to computing power for AI. As a result, Chinese companies are stepping up their efforts in semiconductors, with some of the country’s biggest tech companies and startups launching their own products.
—CNBC’s Dylan Butts contributed to this article.
