Alibaba has introduced its latest XuanTie C950 processor, built on 5-nanometer technology, according to local reports on Tuesday. The company’s research institute, Damo Academy, presented the new central processor unit at an internal event as Alibaba increases its efforts in agentic artificial intelligence.
The XuanTie C950 is based on the open-source RISC-V architecture and is tailored for high performance in cloud computing applications. Alibaba stated that customers are able to customize the chip to meet specific inference requirements.
The new chip operates at a frequency of 3.2 GHz and, according to local reports, delivers over three times the performance of the earlier XuanTie C920 model. The company described it as the fastest RISC-V CPU in the world.
T-Head, Alibaba’s semiconductor division, is leading this initiative as the company seeks to compete in China’s AI chip sector with firms like Nvidia and Huawei. CEO Eddie Wu recently noted that Alibaba’s proprietary AI accelerators are already being mass-produced. Wu also reiterated the company’s strategy to provide AI technology across the entire stack, including both software and hardware components.
Earlier this month, Alibaba consolidated several AI-oriented teams under the newly established Alibaba Token Hub, which focuses on developing platforms to support enterprise AI workflows. In addition, the T-Head unit continues to advance work on its Zhenwu 810E chips for AI training and inference, while the XuanTie series targets cloud system performance and agentic AI.
The release of the XuanTie C950 follows closely on the launch of Wukong, Alibaba’s enterprise platform designed for AI agent processes, amid wider adoption of OpenClaw in China.
The chip unit has already secured significant customers and is preparing for a separate stock market listing. In recent months, Alibaba has also released AI-enabled smart glasses and plans to roll out laptops and other devices that facilitate access to the OpenClaw tool.
RISC-V, the architecture underpinning the new chip, has attracted growing interest in China, particularly as an alternative to products from Arm Holdings and Intel. Alibaba has promoted RISC-V technology amid trade restrictions that have affected Chinese companies’ access to certain foreign chip designs.
