oschina

According to Rest of World, Alibaba launched the open-source model platform ModelScope in 2022, and OSChina launched MoArk in 2023, providing model hosting, testing, and customization services for Chinese developers behind firewalls. In 2023, Chinese regulators blocked Hugging Face without disclosing specific reasons; reports indicate that the government simultaneously allowed artificial intelligence laboratories to bypass the blockade to share Chinese models globally. ModelScope currently hosts over 170,000 models and stated in March that it has 170,000 models and 250 million users; MoArk hosts about 20,000 commonly used models, both still below Hugging Face, which hosts over 3 million open models.OSChina CEO Xu Yong stated that not everyone can always use a VPN, and China needs to establish an independent artificial intelligence ecosystem that serves Chinese users, claiming that China is developing an independent ecosystem faster than during the internet era. He also mentioned that MoArk has deployed engineering teams to ensure that models can run on different types of Chinese chips, making it their mission to ensure mainstream open models are compatible with Chinese chips. Both platforms offer some services for free, with additional computing power and premium features charged; ModelScope also hosts university hackathons and has opened co-working and event spaces for AI entrepreneurs in Hangzhou.Headquartered in New York, Hugging Face is a major platform for sharing open models and datasets. In September, Nvidia announced its acquisition of the company for $12.9 billion and noted in regulatory filings that regulators might prohibit sharing Chinese models on the site.