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Tencent seems unaffected by US AI chip export ban, research shows

A US ban on exporting high-end chips used for AI development to China doesn't seem to have affected Tencent, as US researchers suggest they may have found signs of the tech giant still using the chips

By Chris Stokel-Walker

5 December 2024

Tencent is one of China’s largest technology companies

Cynthia Lee/Alamy

Chinese tech giant Tencent doesn’t seem to be affected by US export bans of computer chips that are crucial to the development of artificial intelligence systems – but even if such bans were more stringent, they may not be able to slow the country’s AI advancement, US research shows.

Ritwik Gupta and his colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, have analysed publications released by researchers at Tencent about the firm’s latest models, including its Hunyuan AI models. The team’s findings suggest that, in recent months, Tencent has…

Article amended on 6 December 2024

We have clarified the research referred to and the scope of the export bans

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