Alibaba Rolls Out 144GB M890 AI Chip After Nvidia H200 and RTX Ban
China's ban on Nvidia's RTX 5090D V2 and ongoing blockage of H200 sales has cut Alibaba's access to US AI chips despite approvals, boosting local vendors. To capitalize, Alibaba rolled out its Zhenwu M890 AI chip offering 144GB GPU memory, 800GB/s bandwidth and delivered 560,000 units to 400 customers.
1. Impact of Nvidia Chip Ban
China's prohibition of Nvidia's RTX 5090D V2 and continued H200 restrictions has denied Alibaba access to key US-made AI accelerators despite export approvals. This blockage highlights Beijing's push toward domestic semiconductors and reshapes procurement strategies for cloud and AI service providers.
2. Alibaba's Zhenwu M890 AI Chip
In response, Alibaba introduced its Zhenwu M890 chip, which triples the performance of its predecessor and features 144 gigabytes of GPU memory alongside 800 gigabytes per second of interchip bandwidth. The launch marks a strategic step to mitigate reliance on foreign hardware.
3. Deployment and Customer Adoption
Alibaba has already shipped 560,000 units of the M890 to more than 400 customers spanning 20 industries, from manufacturing to finance. Early deployments aim to validate performance claims and secure case studies for broader enterprise adoption.
4. Upcoming Large Language Model Release
Complementing its chip rollout, Alibaba plans to unveil its next-generation large language model, Qwen3.7-Max, which will leverage the M890's enhanced processing capabilities. Market observers will watch for adoption metrics and integration across Alibaba's cloud services.