Alibaba Unveils New AI Chip and Larger Model Plans at Apsara Conference in Hangzhou

Alibaba introduced a new artificial intelligence chip at its annual Apsara Conference, held in Hangzhou, China, on Tuesday. The company described the chip as the most powerful AI chip in China. Alongside the hardware announcement, Alibaba outlined plans for a considerably larger AI model. The unveiling took place as leaders of China and the United States were preparing to meet in Washington later in the same week. AI competition was expected to be a prominent topic during those talks. The conference serves as Alibaba's yearly flagship event for its cloud and computing divisions. The new chip and the expanded model plans were presented together at the gathering. No further technical specifications, performance benchmarks, or release timelines were disclosed in the available material.