Huawei has completed the development of the advanced Ascend 910D chip, which is set to compete with American graphics processors from Nvidia, particularly the H100 model. According to the WSJ, Huawei has already sent samples of the new processor to Chinese IT companies and plans to receive the first batch of chips by the end of May 2025. This is part of a strategy for substituting imported AI processors in response to export restrictions imposed by the United States.
This is reported by Business • Media
The processor is still in the testing phase. Huawei hopes that the Ascend 910D will surpass the Nvidia H100 in several performance metrics. According to sources, the new chip is being developed using modern technologies that allow for the integration of multiple chips to enhance performance. However, experts indicate that it currently lags behind its competitor in terms of energy efficiency.
Current State of Production and Application of New Technologies
Huawei has already released hundreds of thousands of earlier processor models – the Ascend 910B and 910C. The main clients include state data centers and private companies, including ByteDance. In light of the new U.S. sanctions that restrict the export of the Nvidia H20 model to China, orders for Chinese alternatives have also increased.
Despite restrictions on access to advanced manufacturing from TSMC and other critical components, Huawei remains a leader in the production of high-performance chips in China. Beijing is actively encouraging a shift to national solutions: data centers are increasingly using Chinese chips, and the government is promoting a move away from Western products.
In April, Huawei introduced the CloudMatrix 384 system, which integrates 384 Ascend 910C processors. According to some reports, under certain conditions, this system may exceed the capabilities of Nvidia’s Blackwell systems, although it falls short in terms of energy efficiency.
“Huawei hopes that the new Ascend 910D processor will become a key element in the fight for leadership in the AI market and help the country reduce its dependence on imported technologies”
It is worth noting that the U.S. plans to launch the production of AI supercomputers, which adds additional pressure to the global market for high-performance computing systems.