China-developed AI CPU debuts in Shanghai
Shanghai-based CIX Technology, with investors including Lenovo and NIO, has introduced its new AI CPU P1, marking a step towards reducing China's reliance on foreign chip technology.
The chip is designed for artificial intelligence-powered personal computers and offers a new option besides global leaders such as AMD, Intel and Nvidia.
The P1 chip boasts AI capabilities of 45 Trillions of Operations Per Second, surpassing Microsoft's AI PC standard of 40 TOPS. Notably, the chip supports end-side large language models with up to 10 billion parameters and can handle tasks such as computer vision, natural language processing, and generative AI.
CIX chief executive Sun Wenjian emphasized the chip's versatility as "one chip fits all," stating it could support various operating systems, including both domestic and global platforms such as HarmonyOS and Windows.
CIX chief executive Sun Wenjian introduces the new P1 chip in Shanghai.
The company secured several hundred million yuan in funding in April, demonstrating investor confidence in its potential. The chip designer's investors include PC giant Lenovo, new-energy carmaker NIO, and Qiming Venture.
With the AI PC market projected to account for 40 percent of total PC shipments by 2025, CIX is well-positioned to capitalize on this growing opportunity.
The P1 chip's debut aligns with Shanghai's broader push for technological innovation, particularly in AI, biomedicine, and chip development. The city announced on Monday a 100 billion yuan fund (US$13.8 billion) to support the three pioneering industries.
In the onsite demonstration, CIX showcased demo applications for text-to-image tool Stable Diffusion and high-resolution game playing of the Genshin Impact, which bring similar experiences for mainstream AI PCs.
In future, CIX's AI processors will also be used in the augmented reality and virtual resality, and industrial sectors, Sun added.
CIX's entry into the AI chip market is a new step in China's tech industry, offering a domestic alternative to foreign chips to build a resilient and independent technology ecosystem.
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