Subj : TikTok's parent firm could shun Nvidia, AMD as reports claim it w
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Sun Oct 13 2024 22:15:05

TikTok's parent firm could shun Nvidia, AMD as reports claim it will use 
100,000 Huawei AI chips to train its next-gen LLM

Date:
Sun, 13 Oct 2024 21:03:00 +0000

Description:
Reports claim TikTok parent company ByteDance will use 100,000 Huawei AI 
chips to train its next-gen LLM.

FULL STORY
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After US trade restrictions stopped Nvidia from exporting its advanced AI 
chips to China, the company responded by developing the H20 GPU, a modified 
version which complies with the regulations by offering lower performance 
levels while still meeting the AI processing demands of Chinese firms. 

Although there is a thriving black market for Nvidias high-end GPUs, TikToks 
parent company ByteDance, already under intense scrutiny in the US, cannot 
afford the legal and reputational risks of engaging in such illegal markets, 
and so has been purchasing Nvidias lower-capability processors for its AI 
needs. ByteDance is reportedly the largest buyer of H20s in China, having 
spent over $2 billion on the hardware in 2024 alone. 

While it is expected to continue using Nvidia GPUs, Reuters claims ByteDance 
is now shifting its attention towards domestic chip suppliers like Huawei to 
meet its AI ambitions. Not without challenges 

The report claims that ByteDance has purchased more than 100,000 Ascend 910B 
chips to date, making it one of the largest buyers of Huaweis AI hardware in 
China, although as of July it had received less than a third of the order. 

Training AI models is a computationally demanding process, which is why 
high-end GPUs like Nvidias are so in demand. Making the shift to Huaweis 
Ascend chips might be a strategic move for the TikTok owner, but it wont be 
without its challenges. 

ByteDances existing AI models, such as Doubao and Jimeng, were built using 
more powerful hardware and are used in applications ranging from chatbots to 
text-to-video tools. The company's ultimate aim is to reduce its dependency 
on Nvidia, but the shift to Huaweis Ascend chips could hinder its ability to 
train more complex models, Reuters says. 

ByteDances strategy appears to be to navigate US trade restrictions while 
looking for local suppliers to help it maintain its competitive edge in AI, 
and beyond. The company recently invested in Xinyuan Semiconductors , a 
Chinese memory chip manufacturer, which could lead to developments such as a 
potential VR headset to compete with Meta's Quest and Apple's Vision Pro. 
More from TechRadar Pro TikTok set to spend billions on new European data 
centers and security upgrades ByteDance could use Broadcom to design its AI 
chips Oracle says US TikTok ban could hurt its business



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/tiktoks-parent-firm-could-shun-nvidia-amd-as-rep
orts-claim-it-will-use-100-000-huawei-ai-chips-to-train-its-next-gen-llm


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