ByteDance aims for custom chips with Samsung

ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, is reportedly exploring the possibility of developing custom chips in collaboration with Samsung. This strategic move could be a response to increasing restrictions on access to Nvidia technologies, particularly high-end GPUs used for training AI models.

Collaborating with a semiconductor manufacturer like Samsung would allow ByteDance to reduce its reliance on external suppliers and optimize chip performance for specific workloads, such as video processing and machine learning model inference.

Implications and context

The restrictions imposed by the United States on the export of advanced technologies to China have prompted many Chinese companies to seek alternatives to ensure their capacity for innovation in the field of artificial intelligence. The development of custom chips represents one of the strategies adopted to overcome these limitations and maintain a competitive advantage.