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Huawei Technologies is gearing up for the mass shipment of its advanced Ascend 910C artificial intelligence chip, a product that is set to redefine China’s AI capabilities. As early as next month, Chinese tech companies could receive shipments of this powerful new GPU, just as U.S. restrictions on Nvidia’s H20 chip have left a significant gap in the market.
A Response to U.S. Restrictions
The U.S. government’s move to restrict the sale of Nvidia’s H20 to China has spurred the demand for domestic AI alternatives. Huawei’s Ascend 910C is a direct response to this, designed to provide similar performance to Nvidia’s high-end H100 chip. By combining two of its previous models, the 910B, into a single unit, Huawei has effectively doubled the computing power and memory capacity, making the 910C a robust contender in the AI hardware market.
While the Ascend 910C may not introduce groundbreaking new technology, its architectural evolution gives it the capability to match Nvidia’s H100 in terms of performance. It supports a wide range of AI workloads, making it an appealing choice for developers and businesses that rely on AI model development and inference.
With U.S. sanctions limiting China’s access to advanced Nvidia chips, Huawei, along with other local players such as Moore Threads and Iluvatar CoreX, is seizing the opportunity to dominate a market once dominated by Nvidia. As the U.S. seeks to curb China’s technological growth, especially in military applications, Huawei’s chip has become the go-to solution for Chinese AI developers.
Manufacturing and Supply Chain Insights
Sources close to Huawei have revealed that the Ascend 910C’s production involves key components manufactured by China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) using its 7nm process technology. However, TSMC, the world’s leading semiconductor foundry, is also linked to the production of some components for the chip. Despite TSMC’s adherence to U.S. regulations and a pause in supplying Huawei since 2020, the global supply chain remains complex, with questions around compliance and oversight.
The Future of AI in China
As Huawei moves forward with the distribution of its Ascend 910C, the chip is expected to become the new standard for AI workloads in China. This shift represents not only a significant milestone for Huawei but also a critical turning point in the global AI hardware market, with China increasingly focusing on self-reliance in advanced technologies.
The Ascend 910C is poised to play a pivotal role in the country’s AI revolution, with the government’s tightening control over foreign chip exports ensuring that Huawei’s solution will remain a critical component in China’s tech ecosystem for years to come.
