According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Chinese companies are studying AI methods to develop AI via weaker semiconductors, along with combinations of chips.

The report said researchers and analysts believe creating alternatives to such chips will be difficult for Chinese tech firms but some experiments have shown “promise.”

Currently, the Chinese market has access to Nvidia chips A800 and H800, which are only capable of small-scale AI models.

However, in April, the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba announced it will be rolling out a ChatGPT competitor in the “near future” to be called Tongyi Qianwen. Alibaba plans to integrate the chatbot within its suite of applications, including its workplace messenger DingTalk.