Chinese Tech Giant Ant Group Claims AI Breakthrough with Domestic Chips

Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, backed by Alibaba founder Jack Ma, has announced a significant AI advancement using domestically produced chips. According to Bloomberg, Ant Group managed to reduce AI training costs by 20% by employing Chinese-made chips from Alibaba and Huawei.

Notably, these chips reportedly performed on par with Nvidia's chips during Ant Group's tests. The development comes at a time when Nvidia dominates the global AI chip market, making this a potential disruption to its stronghold.

Earlier this year, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek also stirred market speculation, temporarily impacting Nvidia's stock due to rumors that its AI models required fewer chips. Now, Ant Group's claims add to the mounting evidence that Chinese firms are making strides in AI chip development.

Despite U.S. export controls limiting access to Nvidia's latest Blackwell chips, Chinese buyers are reportedly still obtaining them. However, the emergence of competitive domestic alternatives could lessen the reliance on foreign technology.

Ant Group and Nvidia have yet to respond to requests for comment on these claims.