Huawei Technologies is preparing to begin shipping its latest artificial intelligence chip, the Ascend 910C, as early as next month, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Some units have already been delivered, allowing Huawei to fill a significant gap caused by Nvidia's reduced presence in China due to U.S. export restrictions.
This development comes at a critical time for China's AI industry. Washington's tightening of export rules has barred Nvidia from selling its H20 chip—a custom processor designed especially for the Chinese market—without a license. This comes after previous prohibitions on more powerful versions such as the H100 and B200, thereby limiting China's access to cutting-edge U.S. AI hardware.
Huawei's 910C chip, a graphics processing unit (GPU), is more of an engineering progression than a significant leap in AI technology. It reportedly achieves performance comparable to Nvidia's H100 by integrating two of Huawei's previous 910B CPUs into a single chip using innovative integration techniques. This configuration effectively doubles the computing power and memory capacity while allowing for a broader range of AI tasks.
Industry analysts suggest that Huawei's rapid rollout of the 910C could make it the preferred solution for Chinese firms building or deploying large AI models. According to Paul Triolo, of the Albright Stonebridge Group, U.S. restrictions have "opened the door for Huawei's 910C to become the hardware of choice" among Chinese developers.
Huawei is also expected to release a more powerful follow-up chip, the Ascend 920, later this year. Meanwhile, SMIC, China's largest chipmaker, is believed to be manufacturing key components of the 910C using its 7nm process technology, but concerns about low yield rates remain.
Complicating matters, some of Huawei's CPUs are rumored to contain TSMC semiconductors manufactured for the Chinese company Sophgo, prompting regulatory concerns. Since 2020, TSMC has refused to supply Huawei directly and demands strict adherence to export restrictions.
As U.S. regulations continue to redefine the global AI chip landscape, Huawei's aggressive push into AI hardware shows China's desire to reduce its reliance on American technology and to build a homegrown semiconductor ecosystem capable of supporting its tech ambitions.