[DigitalToday reporter Chi-gyu Hwang] Alibaba has unveiled its XuanTie C950 CPU for AI agents, CNBC reported on March 24.
The chip is designed to be installed in data centres and focuses on supporting inferencing to run AI models.
While GPUs are essential for training AI models, CPUs play an important role when agents perform multi-step tasks, CNBC reported. Alibaba’s DAMO Academy said the XuanTie CPU can be custom-designed for specific inferencing patterns, improving performance by more than 30 percent.
The XuanTie C950 was developed based on the RISC-V architecture rather than Arm. RISC-V is a free-to-use CPU design blueprint and is drawing attention as an alternative that can cut Arm licensing costs. Alibaba is strengthening AI chip development through its T-Head chip unit and recently launched the Zhenwu 810E AI chip.
Chelsea Tam (첼시 탐), an analyst at Morningstar, said the XuanTie CPU would contribute to strengthening supply chain resilience and lowering costs. She said its impact on Alibaba’s overall revenue would be limited due to manufacturing constraints.
Chi-gyu Hwang
delight@d-today.co.kr