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ByteDance to Develop New AI Model With Huawei Chips
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- Multiple anonymous sources from ByteDance told Reuters the Chinese company is developing a new AI model powered by Huawei’s AI chips
- The new model would be more powerful than the current AI model Doubao used by the company
- A spokesperson from Tiktok in the U.S. said sources are wrong and that it is not true
Chinese company ByteDance, Tiktok’s parent company, is planning on developing an AI model supported by AI chips developed by regional company Huawei Technologies.
According to a recent exclusive by Reuters, three sources familiar with the matter confirmed that ByteDance opted for this alternative as the United States makes it difficult for American companies to sell AI chips to the Chinese market with strict export rules—even though it was recently revealed that Nvidia was working on AI chips exclusively for Chinese companies .
“ByteDance’s next step in the AI race is to use Huawei’s Ascend 910B chip to train a large-language AI model,” said anonymous sources to Reuters.
According to the information shared with Reuters, ByteDance is already using the chips Ascend 910B—the company ordered 100,000 this year, but these are being delivered at a slow pace—with pre-trained AI models for tasks like making predictions. To train new AI models, high-performance AI chips and large amounts of data are required.
ByteDance’s current AI model, Doubao, is less powerful than the new one the Chinese company is allegedly developing.
However, a spokesperson from Tiktok in the United States, Michael Hughes, denied the information provided by the anonymous sources. “The entire premise here is wrong. No new model is being developed,” said Hughes to Reuters.
ByteDance has recently launched a new AI tool to generate videos from text prompts called Jimeng AI.
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California Governor Vetoes New AI Safety Bill
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- California Governor Gavin Newsom shared a public statement vetoing SB 1047
- Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi agreed with Newsom
- Scott Wiener, State Senator and author of SB 1047, considered the veto a setback
Gavin Newsom, California Governor, vetoed the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act (SB 1047), a new AI safety bill approved by the State Assembly a few weeks ago.
The AI safety bill had gone through multiple amendments and sparked big debates among tech giants as it would obligate tech companies to comply with safety measures and requirements to develop AI technologies.
While large companies and relevant figures in the industry like Elon Musk supported SB 1047 , other tech giants like Google, Meta, and OpenAI opposed it.
“I am returning Senate Bill 1047 without my signature,” said Newsom in a public statement yesterday. “While well-intentioned, SB 1047 does not take into account whether an AI system is deployed in high-risk environments, involves critical decision-making, or the use of sensitive data.”
The governor criticized the bill for affecting mostly companies developing large-scale models when, according to his statement, small AI models can also have a big impact on society, and for its lack of “empirical evidence.”
According to TechCrunch , Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi also opposed the bill and applauded Newsom “for recognizing the opportunity and responsibility we all share to enable small entrepreneurs and academia – not big tech – to dominate.”
State Senator Scott Wiener, author of SB 1047, also shared his public statement after Newson vetoed the bill on X : “This veto is a setback for everyone who believes in oversight of massive corporations that are making critical decisions that affect the safety and welfare of the public and the future of the planet.”
Wiener considered the veto a “missed opportunity for California to once again lead on innovative tech regulation,” but assured that they would continue to address AI safety: “We are not going anywhere.”
