What you need to know
- Tencent has offered a glimpse at what its chip R&D teams are working on.
- There's an upcoming chip for AI computing, one for video processing, and another for high-performance networks.
- On a grander scale, Tencent's reveal also showcases China's growing semiconductor industry.
Tencent company official Tang Daosheng recently revealed a bit about the tech giant's chip R&D efforts. Three different chips are on the way: One designed for AI computing dubbed Zixiao, the video processing chip Canghai, and lastly, Xuanling, which is angled at high-performance networks (via Reuters).
Orca, a cloud operating system, was also announced by Tencent.
In case Tencent sounds like a familiar name, you may recognize it as the company behind WeChat. It also has ties to popular games such as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, commands a majority stake in Riot (and, by extension, League of Legends), and enjoys a large stake in Epic Games as well. Tencent has a lot of hands in a lot of pots, with the aforementioned chip projects representing just another arm of an ever-expanding company.
Tencent isn't the only Chinese company with a larger reach than may be assumed at first glance. And it's part of a bigger movement by China as the country increasingly pushes to bolster its own semiconductor efforts and sever its dependencies on the United States.
As it stands, a lot of Chinese companies find themselves in increasingly unfavorable positions due to U.S. sanctions and restrictions, hence the escalation of the chipmaking war between the U.S. and China. Companies like Tencent upping their efforts to boost domestic strength and eliminate the need for dependence on foreign nations' technologies is all part of the bigger picture China is working toward.
