The e-commerce giant’s research arm, Damo Academy, last month unveiled the C930 central processing unit (CPU) design, developed by Alibaba semiconductor unit T-Head, which is geared towards high-performance computing applications, including data-centre servers and autonomous vehicles. Alibaba owns the Post.
The C930 will begin shipping to clients this month, according to Damo, without providing figures, at a the chip’s launch on February 28 in Beijing. Its CPU design is available for licensing to integrated-circuit (IC) developers.
“The open-source model will help build an inclusive and collaborative global RISC-V ecosystem, making it the new engine for chip industry disruption,” Ni Guangnan, a Chinese Academy of Engineering academician, said at the event.
Hangzhou-based Alibaba’s latest open-source initiative not only shows the company’s progress in RISC-V chip design over the past few years, but also reflects China’s commitment to overcome US sanctions.
US trade restrictions have curtailed China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology and chipmaking equipment amid growing demand from domestic artificial intelligence (AI) development projects.
