News/China
Huawei’s AI Chips Face Performance Hurdles in Nvidia Challenge
AI chip competition intensifies: Huawei's efforts to develop a domestic alternative to Nvidia's AI chips are facing significant challenges, with customers reporting performance issues and difficulties in transitioning from Nvidia products. Huawei's Ascend series has become increasingly popular for running inference in Chinese AI applications, particularly after Washington tightened export controls on high-performance silicon in October. However, industry insiders report that Huawei's chips still lag far behind Nvidia's for initial model training, citing stability issues, slower inter-chip connectivity, and problems with Huawei's software platform, Cann. Nvidia's software platform, Cuda, is widely regarded as the industry standard, known for its ease...
read Aug 27, 2024China-Based CogVideoX Launches Open-Source AI Video Model
Groundbreaking open-source AI for video generation: CogVideoX, a new text-to-video model developed by researchers from Tsinghua University and Zhipu AI, has the potential to revolutionize video creation and democratize advanced AI capabilities. The open-source model generates high-quality, coherent videos up to six seconds long from text prompts, rivaling proprietary systems from companies like Runway, Luma AI, and Pika Labs. CogVideoX-5B, the most advanced version, boasts 5 billion parameters and produces 720x480 resolution videos at 8 frames per second. The model outperforms competitors like VideoCrafter-2.0 and OpenSora across multiple metrics, according to the researchers' benchmarks. Technical innovations driving performance: The researchers...
read Aug 23, 2024Chinese Firms Bypass US AI Chip Bans Through Cloud Loophole
Cloud services as a loophole: Chinese firms are leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other cloud platforms to access restricted US artificial intelligence chips and models, effectively bypassing export controls. At least 11 Chinese entities have sought access to restricted US technologies through cloud services, according to a review of tender documents. This practice does not violate current US regulations, as the laws only govern direct export of physical goods, software, or technology. The loophole allows Chinese companies to remotely access advanced US technology without directly purchasing or importing the hardware. Specific examples of circumvention: Several Chinese institutions have successfully...
read Aug 19, 2024How AI is Transforming Military Space Operations and Warfare
The AI space race: A new frontier in military technology: Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming military space operations, with both the United States and China heavily investing in AI-driven capabilities to gain strategic advantages in this critical domain. Enhanced situational awareness and decision-making: AI is revolutionizing space warfare by improving satellites' ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data, leading to better real-time intelligence and faster decision-making. Advanced machine learning algorithms are being developed to analyze satellite imagery, track space debris, and process large volumes of data from multiple sources. These AI systems enable enhanced situational awareness, allowing military...
read Aug 10, 2024China-Based XPeng Motors Launches AI-Powered EV
XPeng Motors has initiated mass production of its highly anticipated AI-centric electric vehicle, the MONA M03, signaling a significant milestone for the company as it prepares for the model's official launch later this month. AI-driven innovation in automotive technology: The MONA M03, an acronym for "Made of New AI," represents XPeng's latest foray into advanced electric vehicle technology, showcasing the company's commitment to integrating artificial intelligence into its products. The new model is designed to appeal to younger buyers, with a starting price of RMB 200,000 ($27,900), positioning it competitively in the growing Chinese EV market. XPeng's CEO, He Xiaopeng,...
read Aug 7, 2024ByteDance Unveils AI Video Creator, Challenging OpenAI’s Sora
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has launched a new AI-powered video creation app called Jimeng AI in China, marking its entry into the rapidly evolving field of AI-generated content. Jimeng AI's capabilities and features: The app leverages artificial intelligence to transform text prompts into short videos that match the given description, currently processing prompts in Chinese. Users can generate approximately 168 videos or 2,050 images per month through a subscription model. The AI-generated videos are formatted to be compatible with TikTok, although there is no direct integration between the two apps at present. Jimeng AI is exclusively available for...
read Aug 4, 2024AI Chip Black Market Thrives in China, Defying US Export Controls
The U.S. government's efforts to restrict China's access to advanced AI chips are facing significant challenges, as evidenced by the thriving trade in these technologies in Shenzhen's electronics markets. AI chip black market thrives: In Shenzhen, China, a sprawling electronics market has become a hub for the illicit trade of advanced AI microchips, undermining U.S. export controls. Vendors in the market openly offer to supply various types of AI chips, including those manufactured by U.S. companies like Nvidia. One business owner claimed to have recently shipped servers containing over 2,000 of Nvidia's most advanced chips from Hong Kong to mainland...
read Jul 31, 2024UAE Cancels US Meetings Amid Concerns Over Microsoft-G42 AI Deal
The UAE has unexpectedly cancelled meetings between US congressional staffers and Emirati AI firm G42, amid concerns over the potential transfer of advanced American AI technology to China, further heightening tensions surrounding the scrutiny of G42's $1.5 billion deal with Microsoft. Diplomatic fallout and congressional involvement: The abrupt cancellation of the meetings, ordered by the UAE's ambassador to the US, has raised the prospect of a diplomatic crisis and increased congressional oversight: The House Select Committee on China's spokesperson expressed heightened concerns about the G42-Microsoft deal due to the UAE's unwillingness to engage in discussions, stating, "Expect Congress to become...
read Jul 31, 2024Baidu’s Self-Reasoning AI Holds Promise for Combating Hallucinations
Baidu unveils self-reasoning AI framework to enhance language model accuracy: Baidu's innovative approach aims to tackle the issue of hallucination in large language models by enabling AI systems to critically evaluate their own knowledge and decision-making processes. The multi-step framework involves assessing the relevance of retrieved information, selecting pertinent documents, and analyzing the reasoning path to generate well-supported answers. By being more discerning about the information it uses, the AI system can improve accuracy and transparency, which is crucial for building trust in AI-generated content. Impressive performance with limited training data: Baidu's self-reasoning AI framework has demonstrated remarkable results, outperforming...
read Jul 29, 2024China Rejects OpenAI CEO’s Warning of AI Arms Race with Authoritarian Nations
China dismisses Sam Altman's warning of an AI arms race between authoritarian and democratic nations, characterizing the OpenAI CEO's remarks as "groundless accusations." Key points from Altman's op-ed: Altman framed the future of AI development as a competition between Western democracies and authoritarian countries, particularly Russia and China: He warned that authoritarian regimes would leverage AI to cement their power and develop new surveillance and cyberweapons if they take the lead in the field. Altman highlighted Putin's statement about the country winning the AI race becoming the "ruler of the world" and China's aim to be the global AI leader...
read Jul 27, 2024Chinese AI Startup Baichuan Raises $691M Amid Push to Boost Global Competitiveness
Baichuan, a Chinese AI startup backed by Alibaba and Tencent, has raised $691 million at a $2.8 billion valuation as China seeks to catch up on generative AI investment. Key takeaways from the funding round: The new funding highlights China's efforts to boost its global competitiveness in AI and shore up investment in the sector: The round included participation from major Chinese tech giants Alibaba, Tencent, and Xiaomi, as well as government entities from Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. This investment comes on the heels of China's launch of the AI Plus initiative in March, which aims to further develop the...
read Jul 24, 2024China’s Open-Source AI Strategy Challenges Western Dominance, Fosters Global Collaboration
For Alibaba and several Chinese AI startups, open-source AI presents an opportunity for faster commercialization and global recognition. Chinese companies are embracing open-source AI models as a strategy to compete with Western tech giants, find alternative paths to innovation, and gain international visibility. Key drivers behind China's open-source AI push: Chinese companies are betting on open-source AI for several reasons, including accelerating product development, finding niche markets, and attracting global developers: Alibaba's decision to open-source its Qwen model is aimed at growing its cloud business by encouraging developers to build applications using Alibaba Cloud and its open-source tools. For Chinese...
read Jul 24, 2024Chinese AI Video Tool Kling Is Now Available Globally
Chinese video generation model Kling AI expands globally, offering an alternative to OpenAI's highly anticipated Sora. Key Takeaways: Kling AI, developed by Kuaishou Technology, can generate high-quality videos up to two minutes long at HD resolution, utilizing advanced 3D reconstruction technology for more natural movements. The global version of Kling allows users to create videos using an email address, with each generation requiring 10 credits and a daily allotment of 66 credits per user. While OpenAI's Sora is currently limited to a select group of creators, Kling's global availability positions it as a strong competitor in the rapidly evolving AI...
read Jul 23, 2024China’s AI Chatbots are Becoming More Accessible Across the World
China's AI chatbots are becoming more accessible to users worldwide, enabling experimentation and comparison with Western models. Key pathways to access: Chinese AI companies are providing various avenues for users outside China to interact with their large language models (LLMs) and chatbots: Some platforms, such as Doubao, ChatGLM, and DeepSeek, allow direct registration using non-Chinese phone numbers, granting access to a range of AI features like text and image generation. Open-source AI community Hugging Face hosts demos of several Chinese LLMs, including Alibaba's Qwen and Tencent's Hunyuan-DiT, which can be accessed without a Chinese number. Alibaba's ModelScope platform, a Chinese...
read Jul 22, 2024Nvidia Is Developing Custom AI Chip for China, Navigating US Export Restrictions
Nvidia developing custom AI chip for Chinese market: Nvidia is working on a new version of its Blackwell AI chip series specifically for China, known as the B20 for now, in order to adhere to US export rules while still profiting from China's computing market. The B20 could be a less powerful version of the B200 chip announced earlier this year, and Nvidia is partnering with Chinese firm Inspur on the launch, according to Reuters' sources. In 2022, the US barred the sale and shipment of advanced AI chips to China, but Nvidia has been redesigning its AI chips to...
read Jul 19, 2024China’s AI Ambitions Stifled by Censorship, Giving U.S. an Edge
China's efforts to lead in generative AI are being hampered by the government's need to control political speech, potentially giving the U.S. an advantage in the global AI race. Regulatory hurdles: The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) is imposing stringent requirements on Chinese tech companies developing AI models: AI companies must collect thousands of sensitive keywords and questions that violate "core socialist values" and prepare datasets of questions the models will decline to answer, many of which relate to political ideology and criticism of the Communist Party. Chatbots are designed to refuse answering politically controversial queries and must end conversations...
read Jul 12, 2024Samsung Bets on Tailored AI to Regain Ground in China’s Smartphone Market
Samsung is developing AI features specifically for the Chinese market in a bid to regain lost market share, as it faces intense competition from local players like Huawei. Tailored AI development for China: Samsung's mobile chief, TM Roh, revealed that the company is creating a suite of artificial intelligence features called Galaxy AI with a focus on the Chinese market: Samsung aims to satisfy Chinese consumers by advancing mobile AI technology that caters to their specific needs and preferences. The company believes that developing AI features tailored for China will contribute to its recovery in the highly competitive Chinese smartphone...
read Jul 10, 2024China Bets on Humanoid Robots as U.S. Chip Restrictions Bite
The World AI Conference in Shanghai showcased China's advancements in artificial intelligence, particularly in the development of humanoid robots, as the country grapples with ongoing chip shortages due to U.S. export controls. Emphasis on humanoid robots over advanced chips: Huawei Cloud CEO Zhang Ping'an argued that China does not need the most advanced chips to lead in AI development, suggesting that the country should focus on other areas of innovation: Zhang stated that believing advanced AI chips are the only path to AI leadership is equivalent to embracing defeat, urging the industry to abandon this viewpoint. The conference featured 18...
read Jul 10, 2024China Leads in Generative AI Experimentation, but U.S. Ahead in Implementation, Survey Finds
The survey by SAS Institute and Coleman Parkes indicates that while Chinese companies are leading in generative AI experimentation, the U.S. remains ahead in full implementation and integration of the technology into business processes. China's lead in experimentation, but lag in implementation: The survey found that 64% of Chinese companies were running initial experiments on generative AI, compared to 58% in the UK and 41% in the U.S. However, only 19% of Chinese companies had fully implemented the technology, compared to 24% in the U.S. Chinese organizations have the highest overall adoption rate (experimentation and implementation combined) at 83%, followed...
read Jul 9, 2024Voters Prioritize AI Safety Over Winning Race Against China, Recent Poll Finds
A large majority of U.S. voters believe prioritizing safety in AI development is more important than racing to beat China, according to a new poll. Key findings: The poll, conducted by the AI Policy Institute (AIPI), reveals strong bipartisan support for a cautious approach to AI development: 75% of both Democrats and Republicans prefer "taking a careful controlled approach" to AI over "moving forward on AI as fast as possible to be the first country to get extremely powerful AI." 50% of voters believe the U.S. should enforce "safety restrictions and aggressive testing requirements" to prevent any country from building...
read Jul 5, 2024China Dominates AI Patents, but U.S. Remains Competitive, Experts Say
China is vastly outpacing rivals in the global race for generative AI patents, but experts say this doesn't necessarily mean it's winning the AI war against the U.S. Key findings from UN report: A new report from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reveals China's dominance in generative AI patents: China has filed over 38,000 patents for generative AI inventions since 2014, accounting for 70% of the global total and more than all other countries combined. The U.S. lags far behind in second place with nearly 6,300 patents, less than one-sixth of China's count. South Korea, Japan, and India round...
read Jul 3, 2024UN and China Lead Global Push for Equitable AI Access and Benefits
The UN General Assembly has adopted a Chinese-sponsored resolution, with US support, aimed at closing the gap between wealthy and poorer nations in access to and benefits from artificial intelligence (AI). Key details of the resolution: The non-binding resolution calls on the international community to ensure a fair, open, and inclusive business environment for AI development and use, and to bridge the digital divide between developed and developing countries: It follows a US-led resolution adopted in March that gave global support to ensuring AI is "safe, secure and trustworthy" and accessible to all nations. The adoption of both resolutions by...
read Jul 3, 2024Chinese Underground Network Smuggles Banned Nvidia AI Chips Despite US Restrictions
Underground network smuggling Nvidia AI GPUs into China despite US export ban: An investigation has uncovered over 70 sellers who claim to receive dozens of advanced Nvidia chips each month and resell them in China, circumventing US efforts to restrict exports of these chips. The chips, including Nvidia A100 and H100 GPUs, are brought into China by couriers from countries like Singapore that can legally obtain them, with one Chinese student reportedly paid about $100 per GPU to transport six A100s in November. Some resellers openly operate out of brick-and-mortar electronics shops in China, such as the Huaquiangbei market in...
read Jun 27, 2024Chinese AI Pioneer Advocates Responsible Development Amid Geopolitical Tensions
Here is a summary of the key points from the interview with Zhang Hongjiang, founder of the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence: China's advantages and challenges in AI development: Despite recent US chip export controls hampering computing power, Zhang sees China's key AI advantages as its large pool of talented entrepreneurs, vast market with diverse AI application scenarios, and strong research institutions. However, he notes the field is over-competitive with too many similar startups. Advocating for responsible AI development: As one of China's leading voices on AI safety, Zhang has worked to raise awareness among researchers, industry and government about...
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