KEY POINTS
  • Alibaba unveiled its first chip to power artificial intelligence (AI) processes called the Hanguang 800.
  • It can cut down computing tasks that would take an hour down to five minutes, the e-commerce giant claims.
  • Huawei has also unveiled its own AI chips highlighting how China's technology giants are pushing the country's homegrown semiconductor industry. 
Jeff Zhang, chief technology officer at Alibaba, unveils the company's first artificial intelligence chip called the Hanguang 800. It was announced at the Apsara Computing Conference on September 25, 2019.

Alibaba unveiled its first chip to power artificial intelligence (AI) processes on Tuesday. The move could boost its already fast-growing cloud computing business and signals China's growing ambitions in developing its own homegrown semiconductor industry.

The chip, called the Hanguang 800, can cut down computing tasks that would have usually taken an hour, down to just five minutes, the e-commerce giant claims.