2023-05-08 11:00:59
Huawei, Baidu, and Alibaba jointly research and develop AI
When there is a shortage of high-performance chips, an attempt to ‘combine low-performance chips’
Blocking access to academic and industrial information in the United States, ‘reciprocal’
An image of the US-China conflict. Getty Image Bank
Analysts say that US sanctions are rather stimulating China’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology development to “stand alone.” As it is not possible to import the latest American semiconductors, it is said that it is researching advanced AI technology by using relatively low-performance semiconductors or upgrading software. It will be difficult to catch up with US companies in the high-performance chip field right away, but from a long-term perspective, it means that it is lowering its dependence on the US and securing its own technology in China.
Separately, Chinese Internet regulators are stepping up efforts to limit foreign agencies’ access to sensitive domestic information. A report from a US think tank dealing with the use of cutting-edge semiconductor and AI technologies by the Chinese military served as a decisive opportunity. In short, the US’s containment once morest China is causing China’s technological development and information control as a reaction.
Baidu develops AI ‘Hernibot’ with Huawei chips
On the 26th of last month, at the ‘Huawei 5GtoB’ research center located in Suzhou, China, a Huawei official is demonstrating various solutions of Huawei in front of reporters from around the world. Courtesy of Huawei
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 7th (local time), Chinese information technology (IT) companies such as Huawei, Baidu, and Alibaba have recently started joint research and development of cutting-edge AI technology. This is because the US government’s semiconductor export regulations in October last year made it impossible to import high-performance US-made chips essential for AI technology development.
Current popular chips in the AI field include the A100 and H100 from Nvidia, an American company. However, China’s stocks are extremely insufficient. For example, it is known that 5,000 to 10,000 A100s are needed to develop and run interactive AI such as ChatGPT, but there are only 40,000 to 50,000 in China. Of course, low-performance chips such as the H800 can still be imported, but they are less effective. The WSJ said, “To implement the performance of 1,000 H100, more than 3,000 H800 are needed,” and said that the cost problem is big.
China has found ‘alternatives’ in its own companies or older chips. First of all, Baidu extremely limited the use of A100 to develop an AI ‘Hernybot’ similar to ChatGPT, and started researching ways to use Chinese chips such as Huawei’s ‘Ascend’. Other Chinese IT companies are also focusing on developing new computer clusters for training Chinese-style AI models, while finding ways to achieve the performance of the latest chips by bundling three or four low-performance chips like the H800.
It is also said to have achieved real results. “(Baidu, Tencent, etc.) are finding a way to overcome US sanctions, with recent success in some experiments,” a Chinese IT analyst told the WSJ.
A report by a US think tank on AI in China is ‘bombing’
The corporate logo was etched on a wall outside Baidu’s headquarters in Beijing, the capital of China, in March. Beijing = AFP Yonhap News
China is also raising the level of its policy of covering the eyes of the United States, which has always been watching its security and high-tech industry trends. The WSJ reported on the same day in an article titled “Report by US think tank prompted Beijing to keep Chinese intelligence secret.”
In fact, China’s control of information is not new. In March, China’s National Cyber Information Administration ordered domestic information providers “not to disclose corporate and academic information to foreign organizations.” Accordingly, ‘Ziwang’, China’s largest academic information site, is denying access to data from overseas universities and research institutes, and ‘Wind’, a market research agency, has also stopped providing major corporate stock information and macroeconomic statistics to the US and others.
However, China’s recent action is noteworthy in that it was taken immediately following it was recognized that a US think tank was analyzing China’s AI development trends in detail. In particular, China is known to have reacted sensitively to the reports of the Center for Security and New Technology at Georgetown University and the Center for New American Security in Washington. Regarding the report, the WSJ said, “A list of Chinese scholars who can be mobilized for AI national projects, and specific progress related to the convergence of AI technology between the Chinese military and private companies are described.”
Jaeho Jung reporter next88@hankookilbo.com
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