Huawei Accelerates AI Chip Push with Ascend 910C Amid US-China Tech Standoff
Beijing, April 22, 2025 – Huawei Technologies has stepped up its efforts in the AI hardware race by preparing mass shipments of its high-performance AI chip, the Ascend 910C, positioning itself as China’s leading alternative to Nvidia, following sweeping U.S. export curbs on advanced AI semiconductors.
Sources close to the matter confirmed that Huawei plans to begin large-scale deliveries of the 910C chip to domestic technology firms as early as next month. The move is seen as a strategic countermeasure to U.S. restrictions that recently curtailed Nvidia’s ability to export its H20 AI chips to China without a license, adding to earlier bans on models like the H100 and B200.
An Evolution in AI Compute Architecture
The Ascend 910C, developed under Huawei’s HiSilicon division, is not just a successor to the 910B but a significant architectural enhancement. Sources indicate that the chip achieves performance on par with Nvidia’s H100, thanks to a novel packaging technique that integrates dual 910B processors. This allows for a doubling of memory bandwidth and compute throughput, optimized for large language models (LLMs) and deep learning workloads.
Although not representing a technological leap, the chip’s refinement and integration techniques mark a notable stride in domestic innovation, especially as Washington’s semiconductor blockade intensifies.
China’s AI Sector Finds Lifeline in Domestic Chips
With the U.S. Department of Commerce tightening export rules, Chinese AI startups like Baidu, SenseTime, and iFlytek have begun transitioning to Huawei’s hardware stack. Market analysts, including Paul Triolo from Albright Stonebridge Group, suggest that the 910C is poised to become the “default inference chip” for China’s AI developers due to Nvidia’s constrained supply.
Huawei reportedly started distributing sample units of the 910C in late 2024 and began securing commercial orders earlier this year.
Manufacturing Puzzle: SMIC and TSMC Involved
China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) is responsible for producing the 910C’s core components using its 7nm N+2 process, though sources suggest that yield rates remain low. Interestingly, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) also appears linked to components found in earlier Huawei AI chips via its work for Sophgo, a lesser-known Chinese AI firm.
While TSMC denies direct involvement with Huawei since 2020 and asserts compliance with global regulations, investigations are ongoing into whether TSMC-manufactured chips intended for Sophgo have made their way into Huawei’s AI systems.
Techno-Political Implications
The 910C’s emergence comes as China ramps up self-sufficiency in strategic sectors, especially AI, quantum computing, and high-performance computing. The chip’s release also reflects a broader shift towards tech decoupling between the U.S. and China, with Chinese firms racing to localize both hardware and software stacks.
Chinese AI acceleration firms such as Moore Threads, Iluvatar CoreX, and Biren Technology are also entering the GPU arena, creating a robust, albeit nascent, domestic ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
- Huawei’s Ascend 910C matches performance of Nvidia’s H100 via dual-chip integration.
- Shipments begin amid U.S. export bans on Nvidia’s H20 and B200 chips.
- SMIC and possibly TSMC are involved in manufacturing.
- Chinese AI firms are increasingly adopting Huawei chips to bypass U.S. sanctions.
- The development marks a new chapter in the US-China tech rivalry.
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