China’s Huawei is nearly ready to unveil a new artificial intelligence chip it hopes it can challenge Nvidia with in China, amid a ratcheting up of the Sino-US tech war, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Huawei’s latest processor, the Ascend 910C, is reportedly being tested by Chinese internet and telecom companies in recent weeks, and Huawei is said to have told told potential clients that the chip is comparable to Nvidia’s H100.
US regulators last year put in place rules that stopped Nvidia from selling its advanced chips, including the H100, to Chinese customers, citing national security concerns.
Also on AF: Firms May Abandon Net-Zero Plans Amid Carbon Offset Uncertainty
Nvidia then introduced three chips tailored for China, including the most-closely watched H20 chips. However, in line with US sanctions, H20’s computing power had been significantly capped compared to the H100 chips.
The Journal report said Huawei aims to start shipping its newest chip as soon as October.
Companies such as TikTok parent ByteDance, Baidu and China Mobile are looking to obtain the 910C chips.
Initial negotiations between Huawei and potential customers indicate that orders are likely to surpass 70,000 chips, with a total value of around $2 billion, according to the report.
- Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara
Read more:
China’s Huawei, Baidu Stockpile Samsung Chips to Beat US Curbs
Smuggling Network Selling Nvidia Chips to China’s Military – BI
Beijing Funded Huawei Comeback With $6bn Support in 2023 – WSJ
‘Dire Risks’ of Nvidia AI Dominance Sparks US Probe Call
Huawei Phone Sales Soar In China, Apple Not Even in The Top 5
