• ByteDance plans to produce at least 100,000 AI chips this year, sources say
• Negotiations with Samsung include access to scarce memory chip supplies, source says
• ByteDance's AI-related procurement to exceed 160 billion yuan in 2026, source says

China's ByteDance is developing an artificial intelligence chip and is in talks with Samsung Electronics to manufacture it, two people familiar with the matter said, as the TikTok parent seeks to secure supply of advanced processors.

ByteDance aims to receive sample chips by end-March, they said. The company plans to produce at least 100,000 units of the chip, designed for AI inference tasks, this year, according to one of the sources and another person. One of the sources said Bytedance is looking to progressively ramp production to up to 350,000 units.