Huawei is gearing up to launch its latest AI accelerator, the Ascend 910C, which has entered the production phase, giving us a clearer picture of what to anticipate from this new chip.
Huawei’s Ascend 910C is set to utilize a 7nm process from both TSMC and SMIC, with the company anticipating the shipment of “millions” of these AI chips. The Chinese AI sector is experiencing a significant technological shift, with models like DeepSeek’s R1 driving a skyrocketing demand for computing power. In this arena, Huawei emerges as a prominent player, and as it prepares to release its Ascend 910C chips, competition is expected to intensify dramatically. According to analyst @ohlennart, details about the 910C chip suggest it could pose a serious challenge to NVIDIA’s H100 within the Chinese market.
Huawei’s strategy for the Ascend 910C appears to be a more straightforward approach compared to NVIDIA’s offerings. The company plans to employ two separate silicon interposers, linking them with an organic substrate—essentially combining two Ascend 910B chips for enhanced performance. Reportedly, this design allows the 910C to deliver 800 TFLOP/s at FP16 and offers up to 3.2 TB/s in memory bandwidth, closely rivaling what the H100 can achieve.
The production process involves 7nm technology sourced from both TSMC and SMIC. Before export regulations impacted transactions, Huawei had already secured substantial 7nm orders with TSMC. Consequently, these orders will dominate a significant portion of the Ascend 910C production. Meanwhile, SMIC, China’s own semiconductor giant, is expected to contribute, with a monthly output of roughly 50,000 wafers, ensuring Huawei can meet its ambitious shipping targets.
Given China’s strides in AI computing, the Ascend 910C represents a crucial advancement domestically. However, on the international stage, Huawei still trails, lagging by a factor of 10-20 times in computing power. Yet, with domestic companies like DeepSeek demonstrating innovative ways to offset limitations in computing capacity, China’s burgeoning AI industry appears poised for an exciting and competitive future.
