ByteDance aims to finalise the design of its next-generation, in-house central processing unit (CPU) by early next year at the latest and begin mass production and wider deployment in the second half of 2027, according to three people familiar with the matter.

One source said an earlier version of the chip has been used internally since late last year.

The source added that tape-out, the final stage of chip design before fabrication, could be brought forward as demand rises from ByteDance AI products including Doubao, its chatbot, and Seedance, its video-generation model.

The effort reflects a broader shift in China, where Alibaba and Baidu have reportedly started using self-developed chips to train some AI models.

Locally developed AI chips are projected to reach 55 percent of the market in 2027, up from 17 percent in 2023.

It also comes amid US export controls that have disrupted Chinese access to Nvidia AI chips, putting more pressure on Chinese tech firms to build more of their own AI infrastructure.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post