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Alibaba Activates 10,000-Chip AI Cluster in China Using Its Homegrown Zhenwu Processors

The build signals China’s drive for homegrown AI hardware under U.S. export curbs.

Overview

  • Alibaba and China Telecom opened a data center in Shaoguan, Guangdong that runs 10,000 Zhenwu AI chips built by Alibaba’s T-Head unit.
  • The cluster is built for training and running very large models, including systems with hundreds of billions of parameters.
  • The companies said the site can scale to 100,000 chips, pointing to a rapid increase in domestic computing capacity.
  • Alibaba frames the rollout as part of a full-stack plan that ties custom chips to its cloud and in-house models to cut reliance on foreign parts.
  • Industry coverage highlights rival builds from Huawei and notes a small dip in Alibaba’s shares as investors weigh the cost of the AI push.