Alibaba is making its own neural network chip

[qwerrty]

Alibaba is making its own neural network chip

Apr 20, 2018Masha Borak
AlibabaArtificial IntelligenceNews



Alibaba is developing its own neural network chip, the Ali-NPU, which will be used in AI applications, such as image video analysis, machine learning, and other scenarios, Yicai is reporting. After the chip is mature, it will provide services for businesses through Ali Cloud.

But this isn’t the only news—Alibaba claims that the chip’s performance to price ratio will be 40 times that of current products on the market. According to the company, the Ali-NPU chip will have a special architecture with 10 times better performance than mainstream AI chips based on CPU or GPU architecture, while the manufacturing cost and power consumption are only half of that. Some commentators have questioned if this is a valid comparison since CPU and GPU chips have different architectures than NPUs.

The chip is being developed by Alibaba’s R&D institute, the DAMO Academy which stands for “Discovery, Adventure, Momentum, and Outlook.” The Academy was founded in October 2017 as part of Alibaba’s wider push into cutting-edge tech and it plans to attract talent by opening centers in seven cities around the world.

Last month during Alibaba’s inaugural tech summit called “New Technology, New Future”, the e-commerce company announced that it would be investing in technological infrastructure including machine learning, chips, the Internet of Things, operating systems, and biometric identification. The event was held at Hangzhou headquarters on March 9 and was attended by around 5,000 engineers.

“An economy that serves two billion people must be backed by solid technological capacity. To shoulder the future responsibility, we will build Alibaba’s own ‘NASA,’” Alibaba’s executive chairman Jack Ma said during the event.

AI chips are one of the main targets of China’s push for AI development. Currently, there are dozens of people working on chip development at the DAMO academy in Shanghai and the US while that number is set to reach 100, Yicai reports. Alibaba has invested in several chip companies around the world, including China-based Cambricon (寒武纪), Kneron (耐能), ASR (翱捷科技), C-Sky (中天微), and DeePhi (深鉴, as well as California-based Barefoot Networks.

Among Alibaba’s new technology focuses are also self-driving vehicles and quantum computing where it aims to compete with local rival Baidu.

https://technode.com/2018/04/20/alibaba-npu/

 

[Beast]

US is afraid. That is why they banned ZTE

 

[qwerrty]

Alibaba Buys Chip Maker C-SKY Microsystems As China Seeks Semiconductor Self Reliance – China Money Network
2-3 minutes



Alibaba Group Holding has acquired 100% of Hangzhou C-SKY Microsystems Co., Ltd., an integrated circuit design house, in a move to expand the tech giant’s chip development capabilities, according to local Chinese media.

The news comes amid calls for China to accelerate its ongoing campaign to gain self-reliance in key technology, especially semiconductors, following a U.S. ban on companies selling equipment to Chinese telecom company ZTE Corp.

Alibaba didn’t immediately responded to China Money Network’s email seeking comment.


Founded in 2001, Hangzhou-based C-SKY Microsystems develops embedded CPU and chip architecture. It claims to be the only embedded CPU volume provider in China with its own instruction set architecture.

It has developed 7 types of embedded CPUs covering a wide range of embedded applications, including smart devices in Internet of Things (IoT), digital audio & video, information security, network and communications, industrial control and automotive electronics. By the end of 2016, more than 500 million SoC chips (system on chip) based on C-SKY architecture have been shipped, the company said.

"The acquisition of C-SKY Microsystems is an important step for Alibaba’s chip development," Jeff Zhang, chief technology officer of Alibaba, told local media.

The deal follows Chinese media reported that Alibaba’s DAMO Academy, its global research and development program with US$15 billion in funding, is developing an neural network chip for image analysis and machine learning.

Alibaba is reported to have started developing an AI chip called Ali-NPU. It is designed for image recognition, video recognition, cloud computing to improve its computing power and to reduce the cost, according to local media.

Alibaba and its financial affiliate have previously invested in several chip makers including Cambricon Technologies, DeePhi Tech, and U.S. AI chip designer Kneron.

https://www.chinamoneynetwork.com/2018/04/20/alibaba-buys-chip-maker-c-sky-microsystems-as-china-seeks-semiconductor-self-reliance

--

US is afraid. That is why they banned ZTE

Exclusive: China looks to speed up chip plans as U.S. trade tensions boil
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...u-s-trade-tensions-boil-sources-idUSKBN1HQ1QP

 

[cirr]

Alibaba should use its huge free cash flow to gobble up more chip designers/makers.

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

According to the company, the Ali-NPU chip will have a special architecture with 10 times better performance than mainstream AI chips based on CPU or GPU architecture, while the manufacturing cost and power consumption are only half of that.

This is highly misleading, since an AI ASIC should never be compared with CPU or GPUs. If they want they should compare with other companies' ASICs like Cambricon, Deephi, Horizon Robotics, Bitmain etc.

Alibaba should use its huge free cash flow to gobble up more chip designers/makers.

Wouldn't matter. It doesn't has access to US companies.

And, Alibaba, for a company its size actually spends very little on R&D. It's peer Amazon, spends about 5 times more on R&D.

 

[cirr]

Alibaba should use its huge free cash flow to gobble up more chip designers/makers.

 

[TaiShang]

I guess the timely US sanctions on ZTE will help speed up China's domestic chip development via both public and private initiatives as well as partnerships.

***



US ban may spur China’s push for chip self-sufficiency

By Li Qiaoyi Source:Global Times Published: 2018/4/18

In a fresh crackdown on China amid growing trade tensions, the US on Monday announced a ban on the sale of components to Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp. This is more than a provocative reminder of the Trump trade bluff that serves neither side's interests; it's likely to prompt even greater indigenous efforts to develop China's semiconductor design and fabrication capacity.

The US Commerce Department imposed a seven-year "denial of export privileges" against ZTE, which means US technology companies will be blocked from selling components to ZTE in the years to come. This will be the same period when the Chinese telecommunications company is seen as joining with Huawei Technologies Co to lead the global charge to fifth-generation (5G) networks.

The export ban claims that ZTE violated a previous settlement of charges over its illegal shipments of telecommunications equipment to Iran and North Korea. It seems more likely that the ban, coming as trade tariff fears are being lobbed between the world's two largest economies, was prompted by dubious motives.

The crackdown on ZTE, whose operations in the US have previously been considered a rare case of a strong market presence for a China-based technology company, will inevitably deal a blow to the Chinese telecom major. Reuters reported on Monday that ZTE relies on US companies for about 25 percent to 30 percent of the components used in its equipment from smartphones to gear to build telecommunications networks.

Among the US suppliers to ZTE are chipmakers Qualcomm Inc and Intel Corp and optical component makers Acacia Communications Inc and Lumentum Holdings Inc, according to Bloomberg.

Compounding the situation, UK telecommunications companies have been warned by the UK's cybersecurity regulator not to use network equipment or services from ZTE, citing national security risks, the Financial Times (FT) reported.

"The UK telecommunications network already contains a significant amount of equipment supplied by Huawei," said the FT report.

In yet another spiteful step, the US Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday voted unanimously to push ahead with a plan aimed at blocking federally subsidized telecommunications carriers from buying Chinese telecom gear.

The US and the UK seem to be working in unison to obstruct China's 5G development roadmap that aims for global dominance in the 5G era.

The US, in particular, believes that a targeted crackdown on a key vulnerability in China's technological capabilities might force China to bow to its threats. That would allow the US to retain its world technology dominance.

This vision is so compelling that the US may be turning a blind eye to the fact that its own interests are also at stake. Shares of US optical component makers including Acacia Communications and Lumentum Holdings plunged on Monday.

This vision should prompt China to invest even more in its indigenous chip push. The country has made a lot of progress in building its own chipset strength, with domestic chip producers making a splash with their own products.

For instance, State-owned technology conglomerate Tsinghua Unigroup will soon mass produce prototype 3D-NAND chip products at its wafer plant in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, Qi Lian, co-president of Tsinghua Unigroup and CEO of Unigroup's new memory subsidiary, said at an event in Beijing on March 1.

The memory subsidiary, only set up last year, made its public debut at the event. It's part of Unigroup's urgent effort to build itself into a chip power.

In a sign that China had prepared itself for a blow to its semiconductor sector from the US, the Ministry of Finance announced at the end of March that it had introduced tax incentives for domestic chipmakers. Qualified companies will be exempt from corporate income taxes for up to five years and then pay only half of the current 25 percent rate through years six to 10. That kind of tax break will undoubtedly be a catalyst for developing domestic chip capabilities.

Nevertheless, the fact that the products of China's chipmakers account for a small portion of chipsets used in devices and network solutions means that their achievements to date are still far from enough. And while it's relatively easy to push for greater usage of domestic chips in handsets and optical telecommunications systems, it's harder or even impossible for domestic chipmakers to break into the field of chips meant for 5G base stations, which represents a higher barrier to entry.

Beyond the current policy packages, China should consider investing a lot more in developing its own chip strength. This would mean not just funds for businesses with an expertise in this area, but great incentives for truly innovative chipmakers. If China can employ all available means to catapult domestic chipmakers into genuine global majors, the US will only end up hurting itself with its trade bluff.


***

[Qualified companies will be exempt from corporate income taxes for up to five years and then pay only half of the current 25 percent rate through years six to 10. That kind of tax break will undoubtedly be a catalyst for developing domestic chip capabilities. ]

If China's government had to wait for US sanctions to provide such basic support to a very significant industry in which dominates China's imports, there is something seriously wrong with the related departments.

While thanking the US for forcing China to provide protection to its domestic companies, we perhaps also should question why China has been such rightful and honest player -- to the point of being abused. If such neoliberal virus is still alive in some departments, they need a complete cleanup.

We do not want neoliberal fundamentalist snowflakes while the enemy prepares and uses economic and political weapons against us.

 

[Beidou2020]

I guess the timely US sanctions on ZTE will help speed up China's domestic chip development via both public and private initiatives as well as partnerships.

***



US ban may spur China’s push for chip self-sufficiency

By Li Qiaoyi Source:Global Times Published: 2018/4/18

In a fresh crackdown on China amid growing trade tensions, the US on Monday announced a ban on the sale of components to Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp. This is more than a provocative reminder of the Trump trade bluff that serves neither side's interests; it's likely to prompt even greater indigenous efforts to develop China's semiconductor design and fabrication capacity.

The US Commerce Department imposed a seven-year "denial of export privileges" against ZTE, which means US technology companies will be blocked from selling components to ZTE in the years to come. This will be the same period when the Chinese telecommunications company is seen as joining with Huawei Technologies Co to lead the global charge to fifth-generation (5G) networks.

The export ban claims that ZTE violated a previous settlement of charges over its illegal shipments of telecommunications equipment to Iran and North Korea. It seems more likely that the ban, coming as trade tariff fears are being lobbed between the world's two largest economies, was prompted by dubious motives.

The crackdown on ZTE, whose operations in the US have previously been considered a rare case of a strong market presence for a China-based technology company, will inevitably deal a blow to the Chinese telecom major. Reuters reported on Monday that ZTE relies on US companies for about 25 percent to 30 percent of the components used in its equipment from smartphones to gear to build telecommunications networks.

Among the US suppliers to ZTE are chipmakers Qualcomm Inc and Intel Corp and optical component makers Acacia Communications Inc and Lumentum Holdings Inc, according to Bloomberg.

Compounding the situation, UK telecommunications companies have been warned by the UK's cybersecurity regulator not to use network equipment or services from ZTE, citing national security risks, the Financial Times (FT) reported.

"The UK telecommunications network already contains a significant amount of equipment supplied by Huawei," said the FT report.

In yet another spiteful step, the US Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday voted unanimously to push ahead with a plan aimed at blocking federally subsidized telecommunications carriers from buying Chinese telecom gear.

The US and the UK seem to be working in unison to obstruct China's 5G development roadmap that aims for global dominance in the 5G era.

The US, in particular, believes that a targeted crackdown on a key vulnerability in China's technological capabilities might force China to bow to its threats. That would allow the US to retain its world technology dominance.

This vision is so compelling that the US may be turning a blind eye to the fact that its own interests are also at stake. Shares of US optical component makers including Acacia Communications and Lumentum Holdings plunged on Monday.

This vision should prompt China to invest even more in its indigenous chip push. The country has made a lot of progress in building its own chipset strength, with domestic chip producers making a splash with their own products.

For instance, State-owned technology conglomerate Tsinghua Unigroup will soon mass produce prototype 3D-NAND chip products at its wafer plant in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, Qi Lian, co-president of Tsinghua Unigroup and CEO of Unigroup's new memory subsidiary, said at an event in Beijing on March 1.

The memory subsidiary, only set up last year, made its public debut at the event. It's part of Unigroup's urgent effort to build itself into a chip power.

In a sign that China had prepared itself for a blow to its semiconductor sector from the US, the Ministry of Finance announced at the end of March that it had introduced tax incentives for domestic chipmakers. Qualified companies will be exempt from corporate income taxes for up to five years and then pay only half of the current 25 percent rate through years six to 10. That kind of tax break will undoubtedly be a catalyst for developing domestic chip capabilities.

Nevertheless, the fact that the products of China's chipmakers account for a small portion of chipsets used in devices and network solutions means that their achievements to date are still far from enough. And while it's relatively easy to push for greater usage of domestic chips in handsets and optical telecommunications systems, it's harder or even impossible for domestic chipmakers to break into the field of chips meant for 5G base stations, which represents a higher barrier to entry.

Beyond the current policy packages, China should consider investing a lot more in developing its own chip strength. This would mean not just funds for businesses with an expertise in this area, but great incentives for truly innovative chipmakers. If China can employ all available means to catapult domestic chipmakers into genuine global majors, the US will only end up hurting itself with its trade bluff.


***

[Qualified companies will be exempt from corporate income taxes for up to five years and then pay only half of the current 25 percent rate through years six to 10. That kind of tax break will undoubtedly be a catalyst for developing domestic chip capabilities. ]

If China's government had to wait for US sanctions to provide such basic support to a very significant industry in which dominates China's imports, there is something seriously wrong with the related departments.

While thanking the US for forcing China to provide protection to its domestic companies, we perhaps also should question why China has been such rightful and honest player -- to the point of being abused. If such neoliberal virus is still alive in some departments, they need a complete cleanup.

We do not want neoliberal fundamentalist snowflakes while the enemy prepares and uses economic and political weapons against us.

Chinese government should provide support to every strategic technology sector (semiconductors, semiconductor equipment, commercial aircraft engines, high-end medical equipment).

China has to anticipate that the more desperate the US gets, the more strategic technology sectors they will ban selling to China. Just like they banned selling military equipment.

The US is a bloodthirsty empire. Look how they banned selling technology to Iran and Russia. Iran didn’t get access to commercial aircraft, high-end medical equipment and advanced medicines like cancer drugs. So many innocent people died as a result of those technology bans.