Alibaba Launches C930 RISC-V Chip Amid Shift from Western Tech 

(Source: Shutterstock)

Damo Academy, Alibaba Group Holding’s research arm, has launched its first server-grade central processing unit (CPU), according to a recent piece in the South China Morning Post.* Designed for server-level, high-performance computing (HPC), the new chip, C930, is the most recent addition to Alibaba’s XuanTie RISC-V processor series.

At a Beijing conference on Friday, Damo revealed that the chips would ship to clients in March. The C930 marks Alibaba’s latest effort to strengthen China’s self-sufficiency in semiconductor development amid ongoing U.S. export controls on advanced chips. The company has been building its own ecosystem around the open-source RISC-V architecture, which has gained traction in China as an alternative to proprietary designs from Western firms such as Intel and Arm.

Damo also announced a development plan for additional chips under the XuanTie series, including the C908X for AI acceleration, the R908A for automotive applications, and the XL200 for high-speed interconnection.

Alibaba’s semiconductor efforts come amid heightened geopolitical tensions surrounding advanced chip technology. In 2024, the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Jamestown Foundation released a report outlining China’s increasing investment in RISC-V as a strategic move to bypass U.S. sanctions.

Alibaba’s Damo Academy showcased at an exhibition, featuring a prominent signboard. (Source: Weibo)

Similarly, a U.S. Department of Defense report released in December detailed China’s broader efforts to reduce dependence on foreign technology while fostering integration between military and civilian technological advancements.

China’s commitment to RISC-V development has been evident in recent months. Last August, researchers detailed new high-performance RISC-V chip designs and software developments, reinforcing the country’s ambition to build a competitive alternative to Western semiconductor ecosystems.

Meanwhile, U.S. chipmakers such as Nvidia have sought workarounds to continue supplying AI chips to China, albeit with modified designs that comply with export restrictions. In general, Alibaba’s growing investments in RISC-V align with China’s broader industrial strategy to develop homegrown alternatives in response to geopolitical pressures affecting global semiconductor supply chains.

The announcement of the new chips comes shortly after the company committed to investing 380 billion yuan (~US$52 billion) into AI and cloud infrastructure over the next three years. Already China’s largest cloud provider, Alibaba aims to expand its capacity to support growing demand for AI-driven applications, particularly as local startups like DeepSeek gain traction with cost-effective, high-performance models. This investment is expected to lead to the construction of additional data centers and broader adoption of AI chips in China.

The South China Morning Post noted as well that other Chinese companies are also advancing their RISC-V chip development efforts. A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently announced that it would deliver its RISC-V-based XiangShan CPU this year. The team further reported that it had modified the XiangShan chip to accommodate DeepSeek-R1.

*Alibaba has owned the South China Morning Post since 2016.