ByteDance Boosts AI Budget 25% to 200bn Yuan

ByteDance raises 2026 AI infrastructure budget by 25% to 200 billion yuan ($29.4 bn), up from 160 billion yuan.
The extra spending will focus on domestic AI chips, aligning with Beijing’s push for local semiconductor capacity.
Doubao, ByteDance’s chatbot, remained China’s most‑downloaded AI assistant for most of last year, per Bloomberg Intelligence.
The move comes amid rising memory‑chip costs and heightened US‑China AI rivalry with tighter US export controls.