Huawei Set to Begin Trials of Cutting-Edge AI Chip

Huawei se trouve sur le point de lancer les essais d’une nouvelle puce dédiée à l’intelligence artificielle, illustrant ainsi sa volonté de renforcer ses capacités technologiques et de rivaliser avec les principaux acteurs mondiaux du secteur.

A Surge in China’s Tech Independence Race

The past year has seen Huawei doubling down on efforts to shake off the grip of tightening American trade restrictions. In a context marked by growing friction between the West and China, the Chinese technology giant now focuses its resources on developing homegrown alternatives to once-dominant Western solutions. At the heart of this ambition lies a single, crucial objective: achieving greater technological independence.

Ascend 910D: The Challenger Emerges

Central to this strategy, Huawei is preparing field tests for its new Ascend 910D, an AI processor still early in its development cycle. According to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal, select clients will soon have access to initial samples of this chip—possibly as early as next month. Early indications suggest that Ascend 910D could even outpace Nvidia‘s celebrated H100, which was banned from export to China at the end of 2023. This potential leap comes at a critical time, as American export controls continue to squeeze Chinese access to advanced semiconductors.

An Accelerated Development Strategy

Richard Windsor, founder of industry blog Radio Free Mobile, points out that despite rapid innovation, production will likely remain at the 7nm process node with manufacturing partner Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC). This technical boundary reflects current Chinese capabilities with multi-patterning lithography—a limitation not lost on industry observers. Several elements explain this sudden acceleration:

• The ever-widening divide between Western and Chinese technological spheres,
• A mounting urgency within China to minimize reliance on foreign-made chips.

From Smartphones to AI: Huawei’s Broader Push

This intensified drive follows last August’s unveiling of the Kirin 9000s-powered Mate 60 Pro smartphone—a moment widely hailed in China as a breakthrough after American controls sought to stymie domestic innovation. The device featured a processor built in-house by HiSilicon, using SMIC’s 7nm process technology, and set the tone for further advancements.

The stakes are rising. With Washington layering fresh restrictions onto sales of AI processors—most recently requiring export licenses even for mid-tier chips like Nvidia’s H20—Huawei‘s moves have taken on even more urgency. Meanwhile, the company reportedly plans shipments of its Ascend 910C AI chip to domestic customers this May, signaling an intention not just to catch up, but perhaps eventually lead in certain domains.

The enduring ban on importing 5G chips only underscores the technological rift now separating East from West. Yet, for Huawei, each new breakthrough signals both defiance and determination—a testament to China’s wider push towards self-reliance in critical technologies.