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Wency Chen

Dongfang Suanxin, a Chinese semiconductor start-up backed by state funds and domestic tech giants, has unveiled an ambitious plan to challenge American market leader Nvidia by using alternative chip architectures to sidestep United States-led export controls.
The Shanghai-based firm announced on Monday that its strategy was built on software-defined computing and 3D-stacked near-memory architecture, which it said could reduce reliance on the advanced manufacturing processes and cutting-edge memory currently restricted by Washington.
“We have to forge a path of our own,” founder Wei Shaojun said at the launch event.
“That path cannot be about passively catching up within a framework set by others. We need independent architecture, original technology, a self-sustaining ecosystem and a secure, controllable supply chain.”
To that end, Dongfang Suanxin – or Shanghai Oriental Computing Technology – aims to circumvent traditional hardware constraints by changing how chips process data.
Software-defined computing reconfigures a chip’s computing and data-flow resources on the fly, tailoring the hardware to different workloads.
Meanwhile, 3D-stacked near-memory architecture places memory layers vertically and closer to the computing cores rather than side by side on a circuit board, shortening the distance data must travel and reducing both processing delays and energy consumption.
The company debuted its flagship DF1000, a 14-nanometre AI processor reputed to deliver 520 teraflops of computing performance using the BF16 numerical format – a staple for training artificial intelligence models.
Company specifications state that it also provides 6.4 terabytes per second of memory bandwidth and 900 gigabytes per second of scale-up bandwidth for inter-chip communication.
The chip was ready for mass production, with shipments expected to begin by the end of this year, according to the company.


Dongfang Suanxin, which has a valuation of 12.3 billion yuan (US$1.81 billion), has laid out an aggressive timeline to compete with Nvidia.
The company said it planned to release the DF2000 in the fourth quarter of 2026 and that the second-generation chip would double the capabilities of the DF1000, with performance aimed at surpassing Nvidia’s H200.
A third-generation chip, the DF3000, is scheduled for late 2027, with the stated goal of doubling performance again to compete directly with Nvidia’s coming B300 processor.
The company has also introduced an entire hardware ecosystem built around the DF1000, including the Dianfeng general-purpose accelerator module, the TY64 supernode and the QY100 integrated AI appliance.
To lower the barrier to entry for developers, Dongfang Suanxin also unveiled CAAP, an open software stack designed to work seamlessly with mainstream AI development frameworks while supporting custom operator programming, supernodes and computing clusters.
Despite the optimistic road map, Wei conceded to reporters that 3D stacking was not a cure-all.
Stacking multiple silicon layers often degrades manufacturing yields, he said, while limited access to advanced fabrication nodes – the specialised foundries required to print microscopic transistors – remains the domestic industry’s fundamental constraint and ultimate performance ceiling.
Wei is a vice-chairman of the China Semiconductor Industry Association and a long-time professor at Tsinghua University’s School of Integrated Circuits, where started research on reconfigurable computing, making him a highly influential figure in the country.
Dongfang Suanxin emerged from relative obscurity earlier this month, about two years after its founding.
Early investors include state-backed institutions such as the National Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund, as well as Jack Ma-backed Yunfeng Capital and the venture capital arms of tech giants Xiaomi and JD.com.
Ma is the founder of Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the South China Morning Post.


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As US sanctions block access to advanced lithography, a Shanghai-based firm bets on chip redesign, 3D memory stacking to break bottlenecks


As US sanctions block access to advanced lithography, a Shanghai-based firm bets on chip redesign, 3D memory stacking to break bottlenecks.


Nvidia’s future challenger? Chinese start-up reveals aggressive AI chip road map

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As US sanctions block access to advanced lithography, a Shanghai-based firm bets on chip redesign, 3D memory stacking to break bottlenecks

As US sanctions block access to advanced lithography, a Shanghai-based firm bets on chip redesign, 3D memory stacking to break bottlenecks