Recent developments in the Chinese artificial intelligence sector have seen significant activity surrounding 01.AI and Alibaba Group Holding’s cloud computing unit. On January 7, Lee Kai-Fu, the founder of 01.AI and former president of Google in China, publicly addressed speculation that his company was in talks to sell its pre-training team to Alibaba. In a statement made via WeChat, he confirmed that “01.AI is not selling its pre-training team, infrastructure, and computing resources to Alibaba,” highlighting that the company generated over CNY100 million (approximately USD13.6 million) in revenue last year and asserting that 2023 will be a pivotal year for China’s large language models.
The backdrop to these comments includes prior reports suggesting that Alibaba Cloud had reached an agreement to acquire a pre-training team from 01.AI, which comprises around 60 employees focused on developing AI models. Sources had indicated that the deal was initially intended to enhance Alibaba's capabilities in the AI sector. However, these assertions have been refuted by 01.AI’s leadership, emphasising that the firm would retain control over its existing operations.
In a separate but related development, on January 2, both companies announced their collaboration to establish an "Industrial Foundation Model Joint Laboratory." This partnership aims to accelerate the practical application of foundational model technology and enhance the integration of industrial foundation models within broader ecosystems. Instead of pursuing an acquisition strategy, this tie-up is seen as a means for Alibaba Cloud to leverage 01.AI's technology, talent, and business operations.
The leadership structure at 01.AI has undergone recent changes, particularly within its pre-training team. Notably, Huang Wenhao, the previous leader, transitioned to TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, in August, while another core member, Li Xiangang, departed around the same time to join real estate firm Ke Holdings. Following these exits, 01.AI appointed YeLong Shen to lead the pre-training team. Shen is known for his work on the "LoRA: Low-Rank Adaptation of Large Language Models" paper and has previously served as a principal researcher at Microsoft’s Azure AI division. With a strong academic background, including degrees from Beihang University in China and Kent State University in the US, he is based in North America and is expected to bring significant expertise to the evolving pre-training efforts.
The departures at 01.AI mirror a similar trend at Alibaba Cloud, where several members of its pre-training team have also left. The cloud computing division is reportedly seeking to identify a strategic AI leader to propel its initiatives forward. The firm appears to be focusing on high-performance smaller AI models, positioning techniques like LoRA as crucial for advancing its strategic direction.
As the landscape of artificial intelligence continues to evolve, companies like 01.AI and Alibaba Cloud are navigating partnerships and operational changes that may significantly influence the future of AI applications across multiple industries.
Source: Noah Wire Services