Huawei moves closer to rivaling Nvidia with new AI chip

Huawei Technologies is getting ready to test its latest and most powerful artificial intelligence chip, a move seen as part of efforts to challenge U.S. chipmaker Nvidia's dominance in the AI sector, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Huawei has reached out to several Chinese technology firms to explore the technical capabilities of the new chip, named the Ascend 910D.

The company aims to find out whether the chip can serve as an alternative to Nvidia’s higher-end processors.

The Wall Street Journal further noted that Huawei expects the latest version of its Ascend AI processors to surpass Nvidia’s H100 chip in terms of performance.

The first batch of Ascend 910D samples could be available for testing by late May.

At the same time, Reuters reported that Huawei is preparing to start mass deliveries of its Ascend 910C chip to customers in China as early as next month.

The 910C chip, also part of Huawei’s AI chip family, represents another step toward strengthening China’s domestic capabilities in artificial intelligence hardware.

For years, Huawei and other Chinese companies have faced challenges in building top-tier AI chips that could compete with Nvidia’s technologies.

Nvidia’s products are considered essential for training artificial intelligence models — a process where large datasets are fed into algorithms to improve their decision-making.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing have played a big role in this struggle.

The U.S. government has imposed strict export controls to prevent China from accessing the latest AI chips, citing concerns over national security and military advancements.

These restrictions have included banning the sale of Nvidia’s leading chips, like the H10,0, to China.

Notably, the H100 was banned by U.S. authorities in 2022, even before its official launch, further limiting China’s access to cutting-edge AI technology.

While Huawei has not issued a public statement regarding the new chip, and Nvidia declined to comment when approached, the developments point to growing efforts by Chinese firms to close the technological gap and reduce their reliance on American suppliers.