Huawei Technologies is set to commence mass delivery of its cutting-edge 910C artificial intelligence chip to clients in China starting next month, according to two individuals familiar with the situation.
Some initial shipments are already in progress, they reported.
This development is timely for Chinese AI firms as they seek domestic alternatives to Nvidia’s H20 chip, which had previously been available without restrictions in the Chinese market.
Earlier this month, the U.S. administration under President Trump informed Nvidia that the sale of the H20 would now necessitate an export license.
The Huawei 910C, a graphics processing unit (GPU), marks an evolutionary step in architecture rather than a groundbreaking technology, as noted by one of the sources and another individual acquainted with its design.
It achieves performance comparable to Nvidia’s H100 chip by integrating two 910B processors into a single unit through advanced integration methods.
This design effectively doubles the computing power and memory capacity of the 910B, incorporating incremental enhancements, such as better support for a wider array of AI workload data.
All sources spoke on the condition of anonymity due to their lack of official authorization to address the media. Huawei has refrained from commenting on what it describes as speculation regarding the shipment of the 910C and its specifications.
The U.S. seeks to curb China’s technological advancements, particularly those that could bolster its military capabilities, leading to restrictions on Nvidia’s most advanced AI products, including its flagship B200 chip.
For instance, the H100 chip was prohibited from being sold in China by U.S. authorities in 2022, even prior to its launch.
This situation has opened the door for Huawei and Chinese GPU startups, such as Moore Threads and Iluvatar CoreX, to compete in a market that Nvidia has predominantly controlled.
According to Paul Triolo, a partner at consulting firm Albright Stonebridge Group, the U.S. Commerce Department’s latest restrictions on Nvidia’s H20 are likely to position Huawei’s Ascend 910C GPU as the preferred hardware for developers of AI models and inference applications in China.
Last year, Huawei reportedly distributed samples of the 910C to various tech companies and began accepting orders.
It remains unclear which companies will primarily manufacture the 910C chips.
China’s SMIC is involved in producing some of the main components for the GPUs using its N+2 7nm process technology, though its chip yield rates remain low, as indicated by earlier reports.
Additionally, certain Huawei 910C GPUs are said to utilize semiconductors manufactured by TSMC for the China-based firm Sophgo, according to one of the sources and a fourth individual.
The U.S. Commerce Department has been scrutinizing the work done by TSMC for Sophgo after discovering one of its chips in a 910B processor.
According to researcher Lennart Heim from RAND’s Technology and Security and Policy Center in Arlington, Virginia, TSMC has produced nearly three million chips in recent years that meet Sophgo’s design specifications.
Huawei maintained that it has not utilized TSMC-made chips from Sophgo. Sophgo has yet to respond to requests for commentary.
TSMC reiterated its commitment to regulatory compliance and noted that it has not supplied Huawei since mid-September 2020.
© Thomson Reuters 2025
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