Sberbank’s GigaChat AI model is set to be powered by China-made AI chips. GigaChat AI, developed by Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, is a generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) chatbot.
Earlier today, Wednesday, May 20, German Gref, Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive of Sberbank, announced that Russia hopes to deploy Chinese-made AI chips for the GigaChat AI model during President Putin’s visit to Beijing.
"We are hoping that we will be able to use Chinese microchips for GigaChat," Gref, also a former Minister of Trade of Russia, remarked on the state broadcaster Channel One.
Just after the Summit with US President Donald Trump, China’s President Xi Jinping hosted Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. XI and Putin were escorted to a signing ceremony for copious documents covering technology, trade, scientific research and intellectual property, reported The Guardian.
As per the Chinese state media, one of the agreements included an extension of the “China-Russia treaty of good neighbourliness and friendly cooperation”, originally signed 25 years ago.
The Chinese President post the signing ceremony, called on the two allies to oppose “all unilateral bullying” in the international arena.
Beijing and Moscow’s joint statement declared, according to the Kremlin, that the global agenda of peace and development is facing new risks and challenges.
“With the danger of fragmentation of the international community and a drift back toward the 'law of the jungle',” the statement added.
According to The Guardian, XI also stated that further hostilities in the Middle East were “inadvisable”, and a “comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency”, state media reported.
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GigaChat AI to use Chinese-Made AI Chips
Now, it seems that the Russian Federation is looking to fuel its flagship AI model, GigaChat AI, with AI microchips made by China.
Considering that the Western sanctions have narrowed Moscow’s international access to semiconductor technology, the visit to China is timely.
Gref announced on state broadcaster Channel One: "We are hoping that we will be able to use Chinese microchips for GigaChat.”
During Trump's visit to Beijing last week, the summit between the two largest economies didn’t yield a breakthrough.
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated in a press conference in Tokyo: "Let's be clear, no major breakthrough was achieved, and so the visit of President Xi to Washington gains an enormous importance.”
President Jinping is due to visit Washington later in the year. According to Reuters, the “fragile” mineral trade truce between the US and China was not extended. It's due to expire later this year in November.
However, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent believes that China will accept the restoration of prior U.S. tariff rates through new Section 301 duties, as long as they don't go higher, according to Reuters. The agreed rate was about 20 per cent.
The question now is how recent international developments will affect NVIDIA’s plans to export AI chips to China.
With NVIDIA AI Chip deliveries already stalled despite the U.S. easing restrictions, they are confronted with China's increasing emphasis on domestic semiconductor development and reduced dependence on foreign technology.
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What is GigaChat AI?
GigaChat AI, developed by Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, is a generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) chatbot. It’s a Large Language Model (LLM) powered by machine learning techniques.
It launched in early 2023 to rival OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT. Similar to ChatGPT, the LLM aims to help users by answering the prompt queries. It generates text and supports diverse AI-related services.
The AI platform has been trained on Russian data, keeping Russian speakers in mind, being conversant with cultural context, slang, and the complexities of the Russian language. It works without the need for a Russian VPN connection.
According to Sberbank, GigaChat stands out because it has a better understanding of Russian than other global neural networks. This leads to more effective communication.
Russia’s main bank has invested heavily in technology to lower its reliance on imports. This is especially crucial since Western countries have limited exports to Russia and imposed sanctions because of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
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