Huawei is gearing up to make a splash in the AI accelerator market with its upcoming powerhouse, the Ascend 910C, which is already in production. Tech enthusiasts have been waiting in anticipation, and now we’ve got a clearer picture of what this chip has to offer.
The Ascend 910C and its Impact on the Chinese AI Industry
In the ever-evolving landscape of China’s AI industry, a tech revolution is in full swing. The demand for advanced computing capabilities has skyrocketed, thanks in part to breakthroughs like DeepSeek’s R1 model. Among the crowd of AI chip manufacturers, Huawei shines brightly. The Ascend 910C chip is poised to add a competitive edge to the market. According to analysis by @ohlennart, the 910C chip’s specifications suggest that NVIDIA’s H100 might finally have a serious contender within China.
One insightful Twitter thread points out that Huawei’s upcoming AI accelerator, the Ascend 910C, could become a dominant force in China’s AI chip economy. It is predicted to reach production targets that might rival NVIDIA’s H100 in terms of quantity this year. But how will its performance stack up? The spoiler: It’s competitively selective.
When it comes to its architecture, the Ascend 910C employs a more straightforward design compared to NVIDIA’s complex structures. Huawei plans to utilize two separate silicon interposers connected by an organic substrate—a classic method. In essence, this setup combines two Ascend 910B chips to boost overall performance. This strategy is expected to allow the 910C to achieve impressive specs like 800 TFLOP/s at FP16 and a memory bandwidth reaching 3.2 TB/s, nearly matching the H100.
The manufacturing process of the Ascend 910C relies on 7nm technology supplied by both TSMC and SMIC. Before the export restrictions took effect, Huawei secured substantial 7nm orders from TSMC, which will be instrumental in fulfilling the production of the Ascend 910C. Additionally, China’s homegrown semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC, is contributing as well, with an anticipated monthly production of around 50,000 wafers. This production scale supports Huawei’s ambitious goal to ship millions of AI chips.
In the context of China’s AI computing journey, the Ascend 910C represents a significant milestone. While it’s a game-changer within China, globally, Huawei still trails others by a substantial margin in computing power. Yet, companies like DeepSeek demonstrate that China’s ingenuity can compensate for the lack of massive computing power. With China’s talent and innovative spirit, the upcoming AI race is set to become increasingly competitive.
All in all, the Ascend 910C is not just a chip—it’s a leap towards future technological advancements in China’s AI industry.
