Alibaba Unveils New AI Chip, Claims 3x Performance Boost
Quick Look
- Alibaba announced its new Zhenwu M890 AI chip, claiming it's three times more powerful than its predecessor.
- The company also revealed its next-gen large language model, Qwen3.7-Max, is coming soon.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Alibaba is developing its own AI infrastructure amidst global competition and China's focus on domestic technology. Nvidia, a leading AI chip provider, faces challenges in accessing the Chinese market.
CHONGQING, China — Alibaba announced Wednesday its new artificial intelligence chip would be three times as powerful as its predecessor, as rival Nvidia struggles to get its advanced chips into China.
The Zhenwu M890 delivers three times the performance of the current Zhenwu 810E, Alibaba said, adding that the new processor has 144 GB GPU memory and interchip bandwidth of 800 GB per second.
Alibaba said it had already delivered 560,000 Zhenwu units to more than 400 customers across 20 industries.
The e-commerce giant also revealed its next generation large language model, Qwen3.7-Max, would soon be released.
In early April, Alibaba and China Telecom said they were launching a data center in southern China powered by the e-commerce giant's own chips, as the country ramps up its focus on homegrown AI infrastructure.
— CNBC's Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Alibaba's Qwen3.7-Max large language model will be released.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What is the specific performance comparison of Zhenwu M890 against Nvidia's latest chips?
- What are the specific technical details of the Qwen3.7-Max large language model?
- What are the exact challenges Nvidia is facing in getting its chips into China?
- What is the timeline for the release of Qwen3.7-Max?
