ByteDance and Broadcom set to collaborate on AI chip development

June 25, 2024:

ByteDance and Broadcom are in talks to develop an AI processor for the parent company of TikTok.

The proposed deal between the Chinese firm and the US chip designer, which share an existing relationship, would effectively safeguard ByteDance’s procurement and supply chains while supporting their advances in AI development.

The manufacturing of the new chip would be outsourced to TSMC, the world’s leading supplier of advanced semiconductors, representing a crucial juncture to satisfy US concerns given the ongoing trade restrictions with China, which prohibit the export of cutting-edge components.

This compliance with the measures put in place by Washington back in 2022 means there is scope for a deal to be completed but it will still be subject to scrutiny.

Despite some deals on older semiconductor technology, the US curbs have prevented any public movement on the trading of 5nm tech or more advanced chips, but this unique agreement can be secured.

Broadcom’s existing relationship with ByteDance

At this stage of the planned ByteDance Broadcom collaboration, the US must be content that there is no significant prospect of enhancing China’s chipmaking development, given the previous actions the government has taken.

ByteDance will also be working with two major global chip makers, in what is an unusual step.

As first reported by Reuters, the collective work would be focused on the 5-nanometer chip, a dedicated product also known as an application-specific integrated chip (ASIC). No final agreement is in place, but given the existing relationship between ByteDance and Broadcom, the basis for a new project is already in place.

The US designer is heavily involved in supporting the TikTok owner’s server and network infrastructure, especially with the use of its 7nm processor. ByteDance also operates local services, Douyin and Toutiao, with the former named as China’s leading AI chatbot this year, and the latter a new aggregator “content king”.

The company has an insatiable need for power and growth, enhancing its need for advanced chips, especially for its complex algorithms. Similar steps are being taken by rival tech and social media giants such as Meta, Microsoft, and Google-parent Alphabet which are all using, or developing, their own advanced processors.

Meta is also known to be in talks with Apple on AI development, with the iPhone maker already bringing OpenAI’s ChatGPT on board for integration with its new Intelligence system.

Image credit via Ideogram

Source link

tags

Afghanistan Africa Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Benin Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Northern Cyprus Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Lucia Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Somalia South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda UK Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay USA Uzbekistan Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe