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TikTok owner ByteDance explores self-designed chips

ChuckNorris89 4y ago
Too late, Intel already has the Tick-Tock model trademarked for their chips. https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/silicon-innovations/intel-tick-tock-model-general.html https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/silicon-innovations/...
- Dracophoenix 4y ago
  Oh, you! I got a chuckle out of that one.
nuccy 4y ago
I'm honestly wondering why software companies look into chips, especially ones with near to zero hardware experience. Can't they instead invest into optimization of software, or re-doing software for their specific need. Why don't we hear about new web-server, new filesystem, new kernel, et al, but hear about chips... Isn't the entry threshold for the chip industry is that low, or the benefits are that high?
- hobo_mark 4y ago
  I am sure they optimize their software too all the time, down to the kernel. Hyperscalers are, almost by definition, at the scale where hiring and managing silicon talent to shave an extra order of magnitude here and there pays for itself.
- giuliomagnifico 4y ago
  Well but they can include a back door at hardware level… not that bad for the effort, especially if the China government pay for it! (I’m sarcastic obviously, but who know)
- throwaway4good 4y ago
  Chip design is essentially programming and be done by a small team and a company willing to put up the capital for having the chips fabbed and put into use. China is a special case as it has identified a series of "chokehold industries" that can be used by the US to constrain Chinese growth. Chips, the highend semiconductor industry, is the most prominent as it was used to constrain and limit Huawei. But it also covers things like databases, operating systems and high quality screws. For each of these industries, there are a number of Chinese companies developing alternatives to Western products with some kind of state support. Having ByteDance participae in this shows the depth of the effort as ByteDance is probably one of most Western-orientated Chinese tech companies.
  - 999900000999 4y ago
    How practical would it to open source advanced chip designs and focus on making them easy to make. Could it be possible to spin up a fab within a few years at a price or under 10 million. Even if your designs are 10 or 15 years behind that's better than nothing. Or I guess you could establish an electrics recycling program and strip old GameCubes...
    - sct202 4y ago
      It's going to cost a lot more than $10m or you're going to have to start a lot simpler. This year, Tower Semiconductor (soon to be part of Intel) has proposed spending $3b on joint venture fab in India that will produce 65nm chips which was cutting edge 17 years ago. TSMC's Japanese plant is $9b for 28nm which is 10 years old.
      - 999900000999 4y ago
        I was more thinking about a professional version of this ? https://www.wired.com/story/22-year-old-builds-chips-parents-garage/ https://www.wired.com/story/22-year-old-builds-chips-parents... Even if we all had to start using chips from the 2000s again, we'd survive.
      - throwaway4good 4y ago
- dixie_land 4y ago
  Brownie points (grants, tax cuts, good will) from the communist party
tyronehed 4y ago
rndmind 4y ago
What a shady, shady company.
Koshkin 4y ago
It will probably be an ARM.

Too late, Intel already has the Tick-Tock model trademarked for their chips. https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/silicon-innovations/intel-tick-tock-model-general.html https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/silicon-innovations/...

Dracophoenix 4y ago
Oh, you! I got a chuckle out of that one.

nuccy 4y ago

I'm honestly wondering why software companies look into chips, especially ones with near to zero hardware experience. Can't they instead invest into optimization of software, or re-doing software for their specific need. Why don't we hear about new web-server, new filesystem, new kernel, et al, but hear about chips... Isn't the entry threshold for the chip industry is that low, or the benefits are that high?

hobo_mark 4y ago
I am sure they optimize their software too all the time, down to the kernel. Hyperscalers are, almost by definition, at the scale where hiring and managing silicon talent to shave an extra order of magnitude here and there pays for itself.
giuliomagnifico 4y ago
Well but they can include a back door at hardware level… not that bad for the effort, especially if the China government pay for it! (I’m sarcastic obviously, but who know)
throwaway4good 4y ago
Chip design is essentially programming and be done by a small team and a company willing to put up the capital for having the chips fabbed and put into use. China is a special case as it has identified a series of "chokehold industries" that can be used by the US to constrain Chinese growth. Chips, the highend semiconductor industry, is the most prominent as it was used to constrain and limit Huawei. But it also covers things like databases, operating systems and high quality screws. For each of these industries, there are a number of Chinese companies developing alternatives to Western products with some kind of state support. Having ByteDance participae in this shows the depth of the effort as ByteDance is probably one of most Western-orientated Chinese tech companies.
- 999900000999 4y ago
  How practical would it to open source advanced chip designs and focus on making them easy to make. Could it be possible to spin up a fab within a few years at a price or under 10 million. Even if your designs are 10 or 15 years behind that's better than nothing. Or I guess you could establish an electrics recycling program and strip old GameCubes...
  - sct202 4y ago
    It's going to cost a lot more than $10m or you're going to have to start a lot simpler. This year, Tower Semiconductor (soon to be part of Intel) has proposed spending $3b on joint venture fab in India that will produce 65nm chips which was cutting edge 17 years ago. TSMC's Japanese plant is $9b for 28nm which is 10 years old.
    - 999900000999 4y ago
      I was more thinking about a professional version of this ? https://www.wired.com/story/22-year-old-builds-chips-parents-garage/ https://www.wired.com/story/22-year-old-builds-chips-parents... Even if we all had to start using chips from the 2000s again, we'd survive.
    - throwaway4good 4y ago
dixie_land 4y ago
Brownie points (grants, tax cuts, good will) from the communist party

tyronehed 4y ago

rndmind 4y ago

What a shady, shady company.

Koshkin 4y ago

It will probably be an ARM.