Alibaba Deploys 10,000 Zhenwu Chips; Nvidia Backs $505M Firmus Round
Alibaba and China Telecom launched a southern China AI data center deploying 10,000 Zhenwu AI chips to train models with hundreds of billions of parameters, bypassing Nvidia export restrictions. Nvidia backed Firmus’s $505 million round at a $5.5 billion valuation to fund a 36,000-chip deployment in Tasmania’s Southgate data center.
1. Alibaba Launches 10,000-Chip AI Data Center
Alibaba and China Telecom inaugurated a new AI data center in southern China featuring 10,000 in-house Zhenwu processors designed for training and inference of models with hundreds of billions of parameters. The move aims to reduce dependency on foreign AI accelerators and secure domestic infrastructure under tightened export rules.
2. Nvidia Invests in Firmus’s $505 Million Funding Round
Firmus Technologies secured $505 million at a $5.5 billion valuation, with Nvidia participating to support anticipated demand for its upcoming accelerator chips. The capital will fund the initial phase of the Tasmanian Southgate project, slated to deploy 36,000 Nvidia accelerators on renewable energy in Australia.