Xin Lang Cai Jing·2026-01-27 06:11Core Viewpoint - Alibaba Group is planning to restructure its semiconductor design unit, Pingtouge Semiconductor, into an independent entity partially owned by employees, with a potential IPO on the horizon. This plan is still in the preliminary stages, and no official response has been provided by Alibaba as of the report's publication [1][12][13]. Company Developments - The push for Pingtouge's IPO is driven by the progress of its products in external markets, particularly the new self-developed AI accelerator chip, PPU, which is expected to be used internally by Alibaba Cloud in 2024 and to perform well in external sales by 2025, especially in the smart driving sector [1][14]. - Pingtouge's PPU chip features key specifications such as 96GB HBM2e memory, 700GB/s interconnect bandwidth, PCIe 5.0 ×16 interface, and a power consumption of under 400W, positioning it competitively against mid-range products like A800 and even Nvidia's H20 [1][14]. Market Context - The AI computing market is experiencing explosive demand, with significant opportunities for domestic high-performance AI chips, particularly in inference markets driven by large model applications [2][14]. - The timing for Pingtouge's IPO preparation is seen as reasonable given the current market environment, where there is high enthusiasm for quality semiconductor assets, as evidenced by the substantial first-day gains of other domestic GPU manufacturers listed recently [9][21]. Product Development - Pingtouge has developed a comprehensive product series that includes data center chips, processor IP licensing, and IoT chips, achieving full coverage of the chip design chain [4][15]. - The SSD controller chip, Zhenyue 510, has been deployed at scale in Alibaba Cloud's EBS storage solutions, with several storage manufacturers already utilizing this chip [4][16]. Business Model - Pingtouge's revenue is closely tied to Alibaba Cloud, making it challenging for external observers to assess its independent profitability [7][19]. - As part of its IPO strategy, Pingtouge aims to accelerate its market expansion and external sales, responding to market expectations with announcements about the deployment of its Zhenyue 510 chip in various AI and storage applications [20]. Future Challenges - Despite the IPO plans, there are concerns regarding the timeline, with analysts expressing skepticism about the likelihood of completing the IPO by 2026. Key challenges include expanding external customer bases, establishing independent governance, and clarifying pricing mechanisms with Alibaba [10][22].