Huawei launched its first AI processor, the Ascend 910, in 2019. Amid escalating US sanctions, the corporate determined to cease formally disclosing details about the sequence – together with particulars associated to launch dates, manufacturing schedules and fabrication applied sciences. The chips specified within the new US restrictions, together with the Ascend 910C and 910D, haven’t even been formally confirmed by Huawei.
The Chinese language authorities and official media haven’t commented on the shift in US coverage, as public discussions concerning the 910 sequence are sometimes censored in China.
That is the primary time an official US authorities doc has particularly talked about Huawei’s Ascend chips.
The Bureau of Trade and Safety, underneath the US Commerce Division, has warned of dangers related to utilizing Chinese language-developed merchandise, as these have possible been developed or produced in violation of export controls, threatening “enforcement actions” from imprisonment to fines on companies which might be discovered to have violated these guidelines.
A Canadian analysis agency final 12 months discovered that Huawei’s multi-chiplet Ascend 910B contained dies made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Firm, fanning hypothesis of violations of US sanction guidelines.
The Submit reported earlier that Huawei’s Ascend 910B AI chip was present in some checks to ship 80 per cent of the effectivity of an Nvidia A100 when coaching giant language fashions, however “in another checks, Ascend chips can beat the A100 by 20 per cent”. Huawei is reportedly trying to begin mass manufacturing of 910C chips whereas its 910D samples have been dispatched to chose shoppers.
Huawei reportedly plans to mass-produce its new Ascend 920 later this 12 months, utilizing the superior 6-nanometre node. Analysts stated it might turn into an alternative choice to Nvidia’s H20, which has been banned from sale to China.
EIU’s Lee stated the brand new US guidelines would have a right away chilling impact on semiconductor growth by Chinese language corporations, in addition to the procurement of home AI chips. Nevertheless, “it’s unlikely to impede China’s adoption and deployment of AI straight away”, he stated.
This text was first printed on SCMP.
