Alibaba plans IPO for AI chip unit T-Head
Alibaba is planning to take its AI chip division, T-Head, public as demand for homegrown AI hardware heats up.
The company will first make T-Head partially employee-owned before the IPO.
No date has been set yet.
What does the company do?
T-Head builds AI chips that power Alibaba's cloud services—basically helping keep data centers running fast and smooth.
This move is part of Alibaba's push to step up its game against big US tech rivals.
Why it matters:
The IPO fits into China's bigger goal of making its own advanced chips, especially after bans on most advanced NVIDIA chips.
CEO Eddie Wu has already committed over $53 billion to boost Alibaba's AI infrastructure, showing just how serious they are about leading in this space.
Plus, local investor interest is high as China looks for alternatives to US tech.