Amidst growing tensions between the United States and China, and the restrictions imposed by the U.S. on the purchase of chips for artificial intelligence (AI), the Chinese company Moore Threads has announced a significant breakthrough in GPU technology. With its new MTLink technology, Moore Threads promises to revolutionize the AI sector by allowing the connection of up to 10,000 GPUs in a single cluster.
A New Player in the AI Field
Founded in 2020 by a former NVIDIA executive in China, Moore Threads has been working tirelessly to reduce dependence on Western technologies and strengthen its position in the global GPU market. With the launch of MTLink, the Chinese company is directly aiming to compete with NVIDIA’s NVLink, offering a solution that integrates up to 10,000 GPUs in a single AI cluster.
Features of MTLink
Moore Threads’ KUAE data center can now access a total of 1,280,000 tensor cores thanks to MTLink technology. Each MTT S4000 GPU comes with 128 tensor cores and 48 GB of GDDR6 memory with a bandwidth of 768 GB/s. While the individual performance of these GPUs is known, the actual performance of a cluster with 10,000 GPUs is still uncertain, as multiplying the theoretical performance of a single GPU by 10,000 does not always translate in practice.
Challenges and Opportunities
Creating infrastructure of this caliber is not without its challenges. MTLink technology must demonstrate its ability to scale efficiently in an environment with such a high number of GPUs. Furthermore, Moore Threads must overcome the lack of access to advanced process technologies, due to restrictions imposed by the Biden administration, which prevent collaboration with companies like TSMC, Intel Foundry, and Samsung Foundry.
Advancements and Collaborations
Despite these limitations, Moore Threads has forged strategic partnerships with major state-owned telecommunications operators such as China Mobile and China Unicom, as well as with China Energy Engineering Corp. and Gulin Huajue Big Data Technology. These collaborations are focused on developing three new computing cluster projects, further advancing China’s AI capabilities.
Funding and Future
Recently, Moore Threads completed a funding round, raising around $350 million. This funding is intended to support its ambitious expansion plans and technological advancements. However, the company faces numerous challenges without access to advanced process technologies.
Geopolitical Implications
The competition between Moore Threads and NVIDIA is not just a technological battle, but also a reflection of the geopolitical tensions between the United States and China. The trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. have forced China to accelerate its internal technological development, and Moore Threads is at the forefront of this effort.
Moore Threads Closing in on Nvidia
The launch of MTLink by Moore Threads represents a significant step in China’s race to compete in the global GPU and AI market. Despite facing major challenges, the Chinese company is demonstrating its ability to innovate and adapt in a highly competitive and restricted environment. This move not only strengthens Moore Threads’ position in the AI market but also sends a clear message about China’s ability to overcome obstacles and lead in advanced technologies.