- TikTok parent ByteDance is negotiating to buy AI inference chips from Shanghai startup Iluvatar CoreX (and may also use Baidu’s chips), which would make Iluvatar its third major domestic GPU supplier after Huawei and Cambricon.
- The deal could involve tens of thousands of chips (Iluvatar is expected to ship at least 50,000) mainly for inference — e.g., powering ByteDance’s Doubao chatbot — rather than heavy model training.
- It’s a sign that Chinese-made AI chips are gaining traction as local alternatives to Nvidia amid Beijing’s push for chip self-reliance and U.S. export controls.
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