Huawei Technologies is preparing to test its newest and most powerful artificial intelligence processor, the Ascend 910D, as it seeks to challenge U.S. chipmaker Nvidia’s high-end products.
The company has reportedly reached out to several Chinese tech firms to test the technical feasibility of the new chip, according to the Wall Street Journal. Huawei aims for the Ascend 910D to outperform Nvidia’s H100 and expects to receive the first batch of samples by late May.
In addition, Huawei plans to begin mass shipments of its Ascend 910C AI chip to Chinese customers as early as next month. For years, Huawei and other Chinese companies have struggled to match Nvidia in developing high-end chips for training artificial intelligence models.
This process involves feeding data to algorithms, enabling them to make accurate decisions.
In response to concerns over China’s technological development, particularly in military applications, the U.S. has restricted access to Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips, including the H100. U.S. authorities banned the sale of the H100 chip in China in 2022, even before it had been officially launched.
