ByteDance of 'TikTok' Collaborates with Broadcom to Develop Advanced AI Chips

ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of the video platform TikTok, is reportedly developing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors in collaboration with the American semiconductor design company Broadcom.

According to major foreign media, ByteDance and Broadcom are cooperating to develop a specially designed 5nm (nanometer; 1nm = one billionth of a meter) chip. The custom AI semiconductor is expected to be manufactured by TSMC, the world's largest foundry located in Taiwan. However, since the design work is currently underway, production is anticipated to begin only after next year.

Broadcom is already known to supply ByteDance with older 7nm AI processors. These are being utilized in ByteDance's AI data centers. ByteDance and Broadcom have maintained a cooperative relationship since 2022.

Bloomberg reported that the collaboration between U.S. and Chinese companies on semiconductor development involving advanced technology of 5nm or smaller is unusual since the U.S. implemented export control measures on cutting-edge semiconductors to China in 2022.

Regarding this, both parties have reportedly expressed their intention to cooperate within the bounds of U.S. regulations. ByteDance and Broadcom did not respond to requests for comment from foreign media.

ByteDance's move to collaborate with a U.S. semiconductor company for advanced AI semiconductor development is interpreted as an effort to keep pace with global competitors such as Meta Platforms, Microsoft (MS), and Alphabet (Google's parent company), which are developing custom AI semiconductors independently.