According to sources familiar with the matter, ByteDance is developing an artificial intelligence chip and has engaged in discussions with Samsung Electronics regarding manufacturing arrangements. Insiders indicate that ByteDance aims to receive chip samples by the end of March and plans to produce at least 100,000 units designed specifically for AI inference tasks this year, with a gradual increase in output to 350,000 units. Negotiations with Samsung also involve securing supplies of memory chips, which have become critically scarce amid the global surge in AI infrastructure development, making the potential agreement particularly attractive. A ByteDance spokesperson responded that reports regarding its independent chip development plans are inaccurate but did not provide further details, while Samsung Electronics declined to comment. Sources added that ByteDance plans to invest over 160 billion yuan in AI-related initiatives this year, with more than half allocated to purchasing NVIDIA H200 chips and advancing its in-house chip development program. It was further noted that while ByteDance does not currently have a self-developed chip, it has initiated a project named “SeedChip” as part of broader efforts to direct resources toward AI development, viewing the technology as transformative for its portfolio spanning short-form video, e-commerce, and enterprise cloud services.