Huawei continues to challenge NVIDIA’s dominance in the Chinese AI market with the unveiling of its next-generation Ascend 920 AI chip. The new processor is positioned as a direct competitor to NVIDIA’s H20 AI accelerator, which has faced export restrictions to China. According to reports from DigiTimes, the Ascend 920 boasts significant upgrades over its predecessor, including a shift to SMIC’s 6nm process from the previous 7nm technology used in the Ascend 910C.
Key Specifications and Performance Claims
The Ascend 920 is claimed to deliver 900 TFLOPS performance, with a memory bandwidth of 4,000 GB/s and a chiplet design similar to its predecessor. Huawei asserts that the new chip is 30-40% faster than the previous generation, potentially giving it an edge over NVIDIA’s H20. However, independent testing by third-party reviewers will be crucial in validating these performance claims.
Strategic Move Amid Export Restrictions
The announcement comes shortly after new export controls were imposed on NVIDIA, highlighting Huawei’s determination to establish itself as a leading hardware supplier in the region. The Chinese tech giant has also made significant strides in the AI cluster segment with its CloudMatrix 384 system, which reportedly outperforms NVIDIA’s GB200 NVL72 system.
This development underscores Huawei’s commitment to advancing its AI capabilities and challenging NVIDIA’s market share in China. As the AI landscape continues to evolve, the competition between these tech giants is likely to drive innovation and shape the future of AI hardware in the region.
