Huawei is actively testing the new Ascend 910D processor, which is intended to serve as an alternative to the powerful graphics processors (GPUs) from Nvidia, as reported by the WSJ. The company has already begun sending samples to Chinese IT companies and plans to release the first batch of chips by the end of May 2025.
This is reported by Finway
This move is part of a strategy to replace imported AI processors amid increasing export restrictions from the United States. The chip’s development is currently in the testing phase, and Huawei hopes that the Ascend 910D will outperform the Nvidia H100 in various parameters.
Technological Innovations and Market Situation
Sources indicate that the chip is being created using advanced technologies that allow for the integration of a large number of crystals to enhance performance. However, it currently falls short of its competitor in terms of energy efficiency.
Huawei has already brought hundreds of thousands of previous models – 910B and 910C – to market. Among the company’s clients are government data centers and private companies in the AI sector, including ByteDance. Some customers have increased their order volumes in light of new U.S. sanctions, which now restrict the export of the Nvidia H20 model that was previously supplied to China.
Market Situation
Huawei maintains its leading position in China in the production of advanced chips, despite lacking access to cutting-edge manufacturing capabilities at TSMC and facing restrictions on the supply of critical components. Beijing is making efforts to encourage a shift to domestic technologies: data centers are actively adopting Chinese chips, and official bodies are promoting a move away from Western products.
This April, Huawei introduced the CloudMatrix 384 system, which combines 384 Ascend 910C chips. Under certain conditions, it is capable of outperforming the resilient Nvidia Blackwell system, despite its poorer energy efficiency.
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