Huawei says its AI chip better than Nvidia's A100 amid China's self-reliance drive

 


Huawei's AI Chip Rivalry: Ascend 910B vs. Nvidia's A100

 

Huawei Technologies has boldly claimed that its latest AI chip, the Ascend 910B, rivals and even surpasses Nvidia's A100 in certain aspects. This announcement marks a significant milestone for the Chinese tech giant, highlighting its rapid growth in a market traditionally dominated by US-based Nvidia.

 


Huawei's AI Chip Advancements

Wang Tao, COO of Huawei Ascend and Kunpeng ecosystem, revealed during the Nanjing World Semiconductor Conference that the Ascend 910B AI chip can deliver up to 80% of the efficiency of Nvidia's A100 in large language model training. In some tests, it reportedly outperforms the A100 by 20%. "There is not much difference between the computing power performances of the Huawei 910B and Nvidia A100 in large AI model training," Wang stated.

 


Ascend 910B vs. Nvidia A100

Efficiency: Huawei's Ascend 910B achieves 80% of the A100's efficiency in training large language models.

Performance: In certain tests, Ascend chips can exceed the A100's performance by 20%.

Market Impact: Ascend 910B has gained traction in various industries through AI boxes, which integrate AI chips, algorithms, and pre-trained models.

 




China's Self-Reliance Drive

Huawei's advancements come amid China's push for self-reliance in technology. With US export restrictions tightening, Nvidia cannot ship its advanced GPUs to China, providing an opportunity for Huawei to step in.

 

Building an Ecosystem

Since being added to the US trade blacklist in 2019, Huawei has focused on developing a proprietary ecosystem of software and hardware. The Ascend series, introduced in 2019, is a testament to these efforts.

 

Hardware Partners: 40

Software Partners: 1,600

AI Application Solutions: 2,900

Zhang Dixuan, head of Huawei's Ascend computing business, emphasized the growth of this ecosystem, demonstrating the company’s commitment to overcoming US sanctions.

 

 

The Competitive Landscape

Despite its advancements, Huawei's AI chips face significant competition from Nvidia, which remains a dominant player in China. Nvidia's tailored lower-grade chips for Chinese clients highlight the competitive dynamics.

 

Market Share

Nvidia: Held 90% of the 500,000 AI chips sold in China in the first half of last year.

Huawei: Captured only 6% of the market.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged the increasing competition in China due to export curbs.

 

Strategic Deployments

Huawei operates Ascend chip-powered computer clusters in 19 cities across China, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. The company plans to expand these clusters to other major cities, enhancing its footprint in the AI industry.

 

Key Cities

Current Clusters: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen

Planned Clusters: Kunming, Changsha, Changchun, Jinan

 

Huawei's claim that its Ascend 910B chip rivals Nvidia's A100 is a significant statement in the AI industry. While the company still has challenges to overcome, especially regarding manufacturing high-performance AI chips, its progress underscores China's growing capabilities in technology. As Huawei continues to innovate and expand its ecosystem, the competition in the AI chip market will intensify, promising exciting developments ahead.

 

For more information, visit the South China Morning Post and explore their extensive coverage of China's technological advancements.

Location: Dallas, TX, USA

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