Chinese technology giants Tencent and ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, made major moves in the AI race by snapping up a substantial number of NVIDIA’s high-end AI GPUs in 2024. These purchases positioned the companies just behind Microsoft, which took the crown as the biggest buyer of NVIDIA’s chips last year, according to an Omdia report and Financial Times analysis.

Both Chinese firms each ordered roughly 230,000 of NVIDIA’s Hopper GPUs, including a specialised H20 variant tailored to comply with US export regulations for China. That’s more AI GPUs, than Google, Meta, Amazon, or Tesla/xAI

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In contrast, Microsoft led the pack with an eye-popping acquisition of 485,000 Hopper chips, far outpacing its competition.

Tencent and ByteDance’s significant investments signal their intent to remain formidable players in the global AI landscape.

Despite restrictions imposed by the US, their GPU acquisitions outpaced tech behemoths like Google, Meta, and Amazon, underscoring their determination to bolster AI capabilities. Analysts expect this momentum to continue well into 2025, reflecting China’s broader ambition to stay competitive in advanced technology.

Meanwhile, NVIDIA maintained a dominant position in the AI server hardware market, capturing 43 per cent of total spending in 2024. While AMD also gained traction, securing notable orders from Microsoft and Meta, NVIDIA’s Hopper series remained the go-to choice for many.

American giants diversifying AI hardware

Meta, Amazon, and Google followed Tencent and ByteDance in GPU purchases, with Meta acquiring 224,000 units, Amazon picking up 196,000, and Google securing 169,000. However, these US tech giants are increasingly focusing on developing their in-house chips to reduce reliance on external suppliers.

Google deployed an impressive 1.5 million Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), Meta leveraged its MTIA chips in equal measure, and Amazon leaned on its Trainium and Inferentia chips. Even Microsoft, a stalwart NVIDIA customer, is testing the waters with its Maia chips, although these efforts remain in their infancy with about 200,000 units installed.

Microsoft’s unparalleled investment in AI hardware highlights its ambitions to dominate the field, but the growing investments by ByteDance and Tencent are a reminder that the AI race is far from a one-horse show. Chinese companies have not only navigated trade restrictions but also emerged as competitive buyers in the global market.

While geopolitical tensions and export controls add layers of complexity to the competition, 2024 underscored the growing clout of Chinese firms. As the tech world marches into 2025, all eyes are on how these global players will shape the next chapter of AI innovation.