Alibaba's 5-nm Agentic AI Chip Unveiled As World's Most Powerful RISC-VCPU
By Reuters | 23 Mar, 2026

The new 3.2 GHz XuanTie C950 server chip, which is three times faster than its predecessor, the XuanTie C920, was made at an undisclosed fab.

Alibaba on Tuesday revealed its next-generation XuanTie C950 5-nanometer processor at an internal conference on Tuesday, local media reported, as the Chinese tech giant gears up for the shift towards agentic AI.

The 3.2 GHz server chip, built using open-source RISC-Vchip architecture, was billed as "the highest performing RISC-VCPU in the world" at a conference hosted by DAMO Academy, Alibaba's research arm, according to the reports.

The chip performs more than three times faster than its predecessor, the XuanTie C920, the reports said.  The company did not reveal which fab manufactured the chip.  Alibaba did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Alibaba is accelerating in-house chip development through its T-Head semiconductor arm, primarily focusing on the Zhenwu 810E chip series for AI training and inference, while the XuanTie series is focused on high-performance cloud systems and agentic AI.

The move comes after Alibaba last week launched Wukong, its enterprise platform optimized for AI agent workflows, as companies and institutions throughout China adopt OpenClaw.   Its international equivalent, Accio Work, was launched onMonday. The agentic AI platform says it can autonomously run complex business operations for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The firm reorganized some of its AI-focused teams under the newly created Alibaba Token Hub earlier this month, which focuses on building AI work platforms for enterprises.  The business strategy shift comes as Alibaba finds new ways to ensure profitability as Chinese AI models' token prices have dropped dramatically amid fierce domestic competition.

(Reporting by Laurie Chen and Che Pan; Editing by Kevin Buckland)