The strategy reflects Huawei’s focus on building larger systems around multiple processors rather than relying on the performance of a single chip. UnifiedBus connects computing, memory, storage and networking components, allowing Huawei to combine processors into what it calls supernodes and superclusters.
Huawei said an Ascend 960 supernode can connect as many as 4,096 AI processors. Multiple supernodes can then be linked into clusters supporting as many as 1 million processors.
The company has already developed 11 chips around its UnifiedBus architecture and says it has shipped more than 1,000 supernode systems to over 370 customers.
Huawei’s chip push comes as U.S. export restrictions continue to limit China’s access to Nvidia’s most advanced AI processors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. At the same time, Chinese policymakers have been encouraging companies to reduce their reliance on foreign technology.
That combination has created a larger domestic opportunity for Huawei, though supply remains a constraint.
“Since we don't have enough capacity to even satisfy the demand in China, we don't have a plan to expand into the international market in a fully-fledged way,” rotating chairman Eric Xu said.
Huawei is also working to strengthen the software ecosystem around Ascend. The company said more than 5,200 developers are active each month on software for its AI chips, while more than 40 AI models have been trained directly on its computing platform.
Xu said he expects Huawei’s position in China to continue strengthening.
“I think Ascend market share should be bigger than Nvidia's,” he said, though Huawei did not provide data supporting that estimate.
The 960DT and 960PR are part of a broader roadmap that extends beyond 2027. Huawei also plans to introduce the Ascend 970 in 2028 and the Ascend 980 in 2029.
For now, the company’s immediate focus is domestic demand. By accelerating the Ascend 960DT and expanding its multi-chip architecture, Huawei is trying to increase the amount of AI computing capacity it can deliver inside China while access to Nvidia’s most advanced hardware remains restricted.
This analysis is based on reporting from Android Headlines.
Image courtesy of Seeking Alpha/HJBC.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
