Chinese tech giant Tencent revealed three new computer chips of its own design, becoming part of a group of Chinese companies developing in-house technology in the midst of a global semiconductor shortage, reports Caixin. The Shenzhen-based company’s three new chips are the artificial intelligence chip Zixiao, which is focused on processing images, video and natural language; a video transcoding device Canghai; and network interface controller Xuanling, Tencent vice president Qiu Yuepeng said at the company’s Digital Ecosystem Summit in Wuhan.
Tencent didn’t display the three chips at the summit or disclose what techniques are used to make them. The company set up its Penglai Lab in 2020 to design and test chips. Tencent will actively explore development and plans to investment in the field long-term, Qiu said.
In addition, Tencent is actively investing in domestic chip companies. Earlier this year, it participated in a RMB 1.8 billion ($279 million) Series C round of funding at Enflame Technology, which develops cloud-based deep learning chips for artificial intelligence (AI) training platforms and is working with Tencent on a variety of AI applications.