https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/huawei-new-chip-nvidia-rival
Ascend 910C: Huawei tests powerful AI chips in China to counter Nvidia, US ban
Huawei has claimed that the new Ascend 910C chips can rival Nvidia’s H100 chips.
Updated: Sep 30, 2024 06:57 AM EST
CPU and Computer chip concept stock photo.
Huawei Technologies has reportedly started testing its new artificial intelligence (AI) chips with Chinese companies – in what can be considered a threat to Nvidia.
According to reports, Huawei has sent its Ascend 910C chips to potential clients in China, especially those firms looking to shift away from Nvidia chips.
This development comes after the United States prohibited Nvidia from shipping its most sophisticated graphic processing units (GPUs) to China. This move also fueled Chinese companies’ efforts to become self-sufficient in the chip race.
Huawei’s earlier offering, the Ascend 910B, is already quite popular with Chinese firms. The company claims that its performance is at par with Nvidia’s A100 chips. Huawei also says that its Ascend series of chips has been used to train the vast majority of top-performing large language models in China.
The newest Ascend 910C chips are said to be a successor to the Ascend 910B.
The new Ascend 910C chips from Huawei
If reports are to be believed, Huawei has claimed that the Ascend 910C chips can rival Nvidia’s H100 chips.
Reports about the chip being tested by the Chinese tech firm had surfaced as early as August. It is only now that South China Morning Post (SCMP) has revealed the information about the chips being sent to other companies for testing.
According to an earlier report by The Wall Street Journal, the Chinese firm plans to ship these chips to clients beginning in October 2024. Moreover, Huawei is already said to have orders for close to 70,000 chips – approximately worth $2 billion in value.
The firm has remained a close lid on its chip development process, and its capabilities as such have yet to come out in the open.
However, with the US restrictions in place, Huawei is definitely aiming to up its game in the field of processors and capture the domestic market in China.
China was Nvidia’s third-biggest markets in the last financial year. This means there is a big appetite for advanced semiconductors in the market, something which the Chinese tech giant will look to fulfill.
Sanctions on Nvidia
The US had first restricted Nvidia from selling its A100 and H100 chips to a client in China. These were two of the most demanded GPUs as they helped in training and running AI models.
Nvidia had then unveiled the A800 and H800 models to bypass these restrictions; however, they too were later banned from being exported to China by Washington.
The restrictions have, however, not let Chinese firms from getting their hands on these chips through other means. The chips are available in Chinese online markets at a significantly high value.
Moreover, Nvidia too has developed H20, L20 and L2 chips to cater to its clients in China. According to the SCMP report, Nvidia will deliver over one million H20 GPUs alone in the country this year.
The demand for high-performance chips is always rising and in the days ahead, Nvidia will likely face a tough challenge from Huawei in the Chinese market. This competition could also lead to a slew of upgrades, price cuts, and major performance boosts for clients in the long run.
Ascend 910C: Huawei tests powerful AI chips in China to counter Nvidia, US ban
Huawei has claimed that the new Ascend 910C chips can rival Nvidia’s H100 chips.
Updated: Sep 30, 2024 06:57 AM EST
CPU and Computer chip concept stock photo.
Huawei Technologies has reportedly started testing its new artificial intelligence (AI) chips with Chinese companies – in what can be considered a threat to Nvidia.
According to reports, Huawei has sent its Ascend 910C chips to potential clients in China, especially those firms looking to shift away from Nvidia chips.
This development comes after the United States prohibited Nvidia from shipping its most sophisticated graphic processing units (GPUs) to China. This move also fueled Chinese companies’ efforts to become self-sufficient in the chip race.
Huawei’s earlier offering, the Ascend 910B, is already quite popular with Chinese firms. The company claims that its performance is at par with Nvidia’s A100 chips. Huawei also says that its Ascend series of chips has been used to train the vast majority of top-performing large language models in China.
The newest Ascend 910C chips are said to be a successor to the Ascend 910B.
The new Ascend 910C chips from Huawei
If reports are to be believed, Huawei has claimed that the Ascend 910C chips can rival Nvidia’s H100 chips.
Reports about the chip being tested by the Chinese tech firm had surfaced as early as August. It is only now that South China Morning Post (SCMP) has revealed the information about the chips being sent to other companies for testing.
According to an earlier report by The Wall Street Journal, the Chinese firm plans to ship these chips to clients beginning in October 2024. Moreover, Huawei is already said to have orders for close to 70,000 chips – approximately worth $2 billion in value.
The firm has remained a close lid on its chip development process, and its capabilities as such have yet to come out in the open.
However, with the US restrictions in place, Huawei is definitely aiming to up its game in the field of processors and capture the domestic market in China.
China was Nvidia’s third-biggest markets in the last financial year. This means there is a big appetite for advanced semiconductors in the market, something which the Chinese tech giant will look to fulfill.
Sanctions on Nvidia
The US had first restricted Nvidia from selling its A100 and H100 chips to a client in China. These were two of the most demanded GPUs as they helped in training and running AI models.
Nvidia had then unveiled the A800 and H800 models to bypass these restrictions; however, they too were later banned from being exported to China by Washington.
The restrictions have, however, not let Chinese firms from getting their hands on these chips through other means. The chips are available in Chinese online markets at a significantly high value.
Moreover, Nvidia too has developed H20, L20 and L2 chips to cater to its clients in China. According to the SCMP report, Nvidia will deliver over one million H20 GPUs alone in the country this year.
The demand for high-performance chips is always rising and in the days ahead, Nvidia will likely face a tough challenge from Huawei in the Chinese market. This competition could also lead to a slew of upgrades, price cuts, and major performance boosts for clients in the long run.
