Huawei Technologies is preparing to test its newest and most powerful artificial intelligence processor, the Ascend 910D, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company has approached some Chinese tech companies to evaluate the technical feasibility of the chip.

Huawei expects to receive the first batch of samples for the Ascend 910D as early as late May.

Ascend 910D Aims to Outperform Nvidia’s H100

Huawei hopes that the Ascend 910D will be more powerful than Nvidia’s H100 chip. Huawei and other Chinese companies have struggled for years to match Nvidia’s capabilities in top-end chips used for training AI models.

The H100 was banned from sale in China in 2022 by U.S. authorities before its launch.

U.S. Restrictions Boost China’s Focus on Domestic AI Chips

Washington has restricted China’s access to Nvidia’s most advanced AI products, including the flagship B200 chip, in an effort to limit China’s technological progress, particularly in military applications.

Reuters previously reported that Huawei plans to start mass shipments of its advanced 910C AI chip to Chinese customers as early as next month.

Nvidia declined to comment. Huawei did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment regarding the Ascend 910D testing process.

PHOTO: SCMP

This article was created with AI assistance.