Chinese artificial intelligence companies are stepping up efforts to strengthen homegrown innovation and reduce dependence on foreign technologies, forming new strategic alliances in response to ongoing United States export controls that restrict access to Nvidia’s most advanced chips.

The moves were announced during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, which wraps up Monday.

According to Reuters, two major industry alliances were unveiled to deepen collaboration between China’s AI chipmakers and large language model developers.

One of the newly launched groups, the Model-Chip Ecosystem Innovation Alliance, unites domestic LLM developers with GPU manufacturers such as Huawei, Biren, Moore Threads, and Enflame—all firms targeted by U.S. sanctions.

Enflame CEO Zhao Lidong described the initiative as an “innovative ecosystem that connects the complete technology chain from chips to models to infrastructure.”

A second consortium, the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce AI Committee, is focused on expanding industrial adoption of AI technologies.

Its members include blacklisted facial-recognition firm SenseTime, LLM developers StepFun and MiniMax, and chipmakers Metax and Iluvatar CoreX.

The alliances reflect Beijing’s broader push to build a self-reliant AI supply chain, as geopolitical tensions continue to disrupt access to critical semiconductor technology.