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This initiative reflects ByteDance's shift towards local chip manufacturers in light of U.S. export restrictions on advanced AI chips that were implemented in 2022.
AI has emerged as a central focus across multiple sectors, including gaming and e-commerce, where businesses are leveraging custom AI models to improve their offerings.
According to the sources, ByteDance aims to use Huawei’s Ascend 910B chip for training a large-language AI model, although they requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the project. A fourth source corroborated ByteDance's plans to develop a new AI model but could not confirm the use of Huawei chips.
At present, ByteDance utilizes the Ascend 910B chip for less demanding inference tasks, which involve using pre-trained AI models for predictions, as noted by the three sources and an additional informant.
Training AI models is considerably more resource-intensive, necessitating large datasets and high-performance chips, such as Nvidia’s top-tier graphics processing units.
One source mentioned that the upcoming model will possess lower computing capabilities compared to ByteDance’s current Doubao AI model.
ByteDance has not provided a comment on this matter. However, Michael Hughes, a TikTok spokesperson in Washington, D.C., refuted the claims, asserting, “The entire premise here is wrong. No new model is being developed.”
Supply Limitations
According to reports, ByteDance placed an order for more than 100,000 Ascend 910B chips this year; however, by July, it had received fewer than 30,000 units, which has impeded its capacity to satisfy demand. This restricted supply, coupled with the chips' inferior computational capabilities compared to Nvidia's alternatives available in China, has led ByteDance to refrain from establishing a timeline for the release of the new model.
The company's existing AI technology underpins its prominent large-language model, Douba⁹o, which was launched in August 2023, and is also utilized in various other applications, including a text-to-video tool named Jimeng.
Recently, ByteDance unveiled two video-focused iterations of Doubao to rival OpenAI, and its chatbot has rapidly gained popularity, amassing over 10 million monthly active users since the beginning of 2024.
As ByteDance intensifies its commitment to AI, it has emerged as one of Huawei's largest purchasers of AI chips. Additionally, it stands as the primary customer for Nvidia's H20 AI chip, which is specifically designed for the Chinese market in compliance with U.S. trade regulations, and is recognized as Microsoft's largest client in Asia for Nvidia chips available through cloud services, according to various sources.