Chinese AI chip start-up exits stealth mode, bets on 3D stacking to bypass US controls

A Chinese artificial intelligence chip start-up led by industry veteran Wei Shaojun has emerged from stealth mode, joining giants like Huawei Technologies in betting on 3D stacking to bypass US tech export controls.

Dongfang Suanxin, a company headed by Wei, who is also vice-president of the China Semiconductor Industry Association, has stepped into the spotlight by launching a corporate website and social media account, positioning itself as a new but formidable player in China’s AI computing sector.

The move on Wednesday, which marks the first time the company has communicated publicly since its founding in 2024, reflects how China’s chip industry is stepping up efforts to build a self-reliant AI chip ecosystem and bypass US tech export controls.

The company said it utilises two core technologies – “software-defined chips” and “3D stacked near-memory computing” – to provide ultra-high-performance computing chips. Its technology relies entirely on a domestic supply chain, it added.

The bet on 3D stacking also reflects a wider trend across the global chip industry in the post-Moore’s Law era, where semiconductor giants are increasingly turning to 3D chip architecture as traditional scaling reaches its physical limits.

The concept has become more popular in China recently after tech giant Huawei in late May proposed the “Tau Scaling Law”, a new engineering principle that aims to achieve equivalent increases in transistor density through 3D architectural innovation.