Huawei might be stepping in to fill the void left by Nvidia in the Chinese market. Following the export ban from the US, Huawei officially announced the Ascend 920, which is its fastest AI chipset. The timing of the announcement is oddly coincidental and could be arriving at a big cost to Nvidia. So here’s what we know.

How the Huawei Ascend 920 AI Chip is Changing the Game

For those unaware, the United States announced stricter restrictions on the import of AI chips, which affects chipmaking giant, Nvidia. The company managed to circumvent previous regulations to sell its Nvidia H20 processors in the Chinese market. However, the latest export ban could be cracking down on this. But with AI growing exponentially in the region, Huawei’s new announcement arrives at the perfect time to fill in the gap.

As per the official announcement, the new Ascend 920 will hit mass production later this year and is based on SMIC’s 6nm process. It promises to offer up to 900 TFLOPS of BF16 compute and 4000GB/s of memory bandwidth. This chip is supported by HBM3 memory modules and will also support PCI 5.0, along with next gen interconnect protocols to help large model training. With this chip, the company could replace the Nvidia H20 by being an effective alternative.

To recall, the H20 is being used by other Chinese tech giants like Tencent and ByteDance. But after these new US restrictions, the Ascend 920 might be the next in line. The current gen Ascend 910C offers around 60 percent of the Nvidia H100’s performance, while the Ascend 920 possibly offering training efficiency by 30 to 40 percent.

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The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 has become one of the hardest-to-find graphics cards, with a global shortage affecting availability. Many customers are facing long waiting times, with some delays stretching up to 16 weeks.

Overclockers UK (OCUK) confirmed that all RTX 50 series graphics cards sold out within hours of release. Due to overwhelming demand, the retailer has temporarily halted pre-orders. Customers who have not received shipping confirmation are being placed in a pre-order queue.

Estimated availability and price surge

The RTX 5090 is expected to be available within 3 to 16 weeks, while the RTX 5080 may arrive sooner, with an estimated wait time of 2 to 6 weeks. However, supply remains uncertain.

Scalpers are taking advantage of the shortage, selling RTX 50 series cards at two to three times their retail price on platforms like eBay. The RTX 5090, which has an MSRP of $1,999, is being resold for $2,300 to $2,600. The RTX 5080, originally priced at $999, is now selling for $1,100 to $1,300.

The shortage is partly due to Nvidia’s reliance on TSMC’s wafer production, which is also used for Blackwell accelerators. This competition for manufacturing capacity has further limited the supply of RTX 50 series GPUs.

Retailer Measures and Stock Rumors

In Japan, retailers are using a lottery system to allow customers to purchase the RTX 5090 or 5080. Reports indicate that some retailers had no RTX 5090 stock at all on launch day. Others, like MSI, will not ship the RTX 5090 until February 6.

Industry experts suggest that RTX 5090 stock will remain tight until at least March 2025, while RTX 5080 availability could improve sooner. Meanwhile, AMD’s RX 9070 is expected to launch in March 2025, possibly as a competitor.

For now, consumers are advised to hold onto their existing graphics cards. Supply remains tight, and prices are much higher than expected due to scalping.

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At the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Zhang Ping’an, CEO of Huawei Cloud, delivered a compelling message regarding China’s AI progress amidst U.S. sanctions on advanced GPUs and chipmaking technology. Despite the constraints imposed by limited access to top-tier processors, Zhang emphasized that China can continue to lead in AI without relying solely on high-end chips.

Zhang dismissed concerns that the restrictions on advanced AI processors, such as Nvidia’s H100/H200 and B100/B200, would significantly impede China’s AI development. He underscored that China’s AI leadership should not be contingent on these high-end chips. Acknowledging the country’s current limitation in computing power due to the sanctions, Zhang highlighted the importance of being independent of the most advanced technology.

Zhang pointed to Huawei’s efforts in developing the Ascend 910-series processors for AI applications. He claimed these processors are competitive with Nvidia’s A100, though analysts in Europe and the U.S. have not independently verified this assertion. The U.S. restrictions on Nvidia processors mean that major Chinese tech companies like Baidu, Huawei, and Tencent must rely on domestic technology, which Zhang views as an opportunity rather than a setback.

However, Zhang recognized the performance limitations of domestic processors. He admitted that processors from Huawei and Biren Technology, produced on older manufacturing nodes, cannot match the performance of modern AI and high-performance computing GPUs from AMD and Nvidia. Additionally, SMIC, which manufactures chips for Huawei and Biren, lacks access to cutting-edge equipment, contributing to China’s lag in per-processor computing performance.

To address these challenges, Zhang advocated for a holistic approach combining cloud, edge, and network technologies to enhance efficiency and reduce power consumption for AI workloads. He highlighted Huawei Cloud as a leading provider of AI services, suggesting that leveraging cloud technology could compensate for the lack of advanced AI processors. However, it remains unclear whether Huawei’s processors are recommended for training large language models directly in Huawei Cloud or if they should be trained on external machines and then deployed in Huawei Cloud.

Overall, Zhang stressed the need to abandon the belief that the absence of the most advanced AI chips precludes leadership in AI. He conveyed confidence that through innovation and a strategic approach, China can maintain its position at the forefront of AI development despite the ongoing U.S. sanctions.

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Arm Holdings, is aiming to roll 100 billion Arm devices out in 2025. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to establish Arm as a key player in the rapidly expanding AI chip market, projected to grow from $30 billion in 2024 to over $200 billion by 2032.

To achieve this, Arm will establish a dedicated AI chip division. The division aims to produce prototypes by spring 2025 and begin mass production by the fall of the same year. The manufacturing will be managed by contract manufacturers, including potential collaborations with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC) and others. The development costs for these AI chips are expected to reach hundreds of billions of yen, with financial backing from Arm and contributions from SoftBank.

Strategically, there is a possibility that the AI chip business could be spun off and integrated under SoftBank once mass production is underway. This move aligns with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son’s vision of transforming SoftBank into an AI powerhouse. Son has earmarked a $64 billion investment to drive innovations across various sectors, including data centers, robotics, and power generation. He envisions integrating AI, semiconductor, and robotics technologies to revolutionize industries such as shipping, pharmaceuticals, finance, manufacturing, and logistics.

At the Computex forum in Taipei, Arm highlighted their target of having 100 billion Arm devices worldwide by the end of 2025, emphasizing the role of AI-ready devices. Furthermore, Arm unveiled new AI chip designs and software tools aimed at enhancing AI capabilities in smartphones. These new designs are expected to improve compute and graphics performance by over 30% and accelerate AI inference by 59% for machine learning and computer vision tasks.

Arm’s strategy includes providing ready-for-manufacturing blueprints, a departure from their previous approach of offering abstract designs. This shift aims to expedite the development process for their partners, such as Samsung and TSMC. Samsung is already collaborating with Arm on 3nm process technology to meet the growing demand for generative AI in mobile devices. TSMC is working with Arm to enhance AI performance and efficiency through their Open Innovation Platform ecosystem

With these initiatives, Arm is not positioning itself as a competitor but as an enabler, helping its customers bring AI-driven chips and devices to market more swiftly. Chris Bergey, Arm’s General Manager, expressed the company’s vision of combining a platform for tightly coupled accelerators with customer Neural Processing Units (NPUs) to foster the rapid development of powerful AI chips and devices.

As Arm moves forward with its plans, it aims to capture a significant share of the burgeoning AI chip market, capitalizing on the unmet demand currently dominated by Nvidia. The company’s focus on AI chip development is a pivotal step in SoftBank’s broader strategy to lead the AI revolution and transform various industries through cutting-edge technology.

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The competitive landscape of China’s AI chip market is undergoing a significant shift as Huawei gains ground against Nvidia. This development follows US sanctions on Huawei and export curbs on Nvidia’s advanced processors, altering the dynamics of the market.

Huawei’s self-developed 910B Ascend chips are rapidly gaining traction across various industries, facilitated by the increasing popularity of “AI boxes.” These AI boxes are all-in-one machines that integrate AI chips, industry-specific algorithms, and pre-trained large AI models, providing ready-to-use solutions for small companies and government entities. They offer a cost-effective way for these organizations to fine-tune large model-based services without substantial investments.

Previously dominated by Nvidia, the mainland market is now seeing a potential shift, with Huawei poised to overtake its American rival. In response to US export restrictions on its A800, H800, and L40S processors, Nvidia has introduced lower-grade chips, such as the H20, tailored for China. However, these chips are being sold at a discount compared to Huawei’s Ascend 910B chips, reflecting the intensified competition and market challenges Nvidia faces.

Huawei’s Ascend ecosystem has grown rapidly, boasting 40 hardware partners, 1,600 software partners, and 2,900 AI application solutions. Prominent Chinese companies like Tianjin Sitonholy and SenseTime are adopting Huawei chips for their AI boxes, with SenseTime anticipating a doubling of its generative AI sales due to these AI boxes.

Analysts predict that Huawei’s expanding AI chip business will soon dominate the market. AI boxes, deemed essential for businesses, are expected to predominantly feature local players led by Huawei. Insights from Pacific Securities and Counterpoint analysts underscore Huawei’s technological capabilities and substantial market potential. However, the pace of Huawei’s ascendancy hinges on its ability to ramp up production, as manufacturing high-performance AI accelerators and server processors is more complex than mobile system-on-a-chip products.

Despite these advancements, Nvidia remains a significant player, having accounted for 90% of AI chips sold in China in the first half of the previous year, compared to Huawei’s 6%. Nevertheless, the market tide is turning, with more Chinese companies launching AI boxes using Huawei chips. Nvidia’s tailored-for-China chips, including the H20, are currently selling at a discount compared to Huawei’s offerings.

Looking ahead, Huawei is expected to prioritize AI chips over mobile chips to secure a leading market position in China. Collaborations with companies like iFlyTek aim to address computing-power bottlenecks, with products like the Spark Number 1 AI box benchmarked against Nvidia’s A100 processor.

Nvidia’s strategic response to this competitive pressure includes price cuts and the introduction of tailored chips for the Chinese market. Despite these efforts, analysts highlight the uncertainty surrounding Nvidia’s future in China amid US-China tensions and a fiercely competitive landscape.

As China’s share of the global AI industry is projected to exceed 30% by 2035, the ongoing battle between Huawei and Nvidia in the AI chip market will have far-reaching implications for both companies and the broader industry.

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There is a new competitor in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Arm Holdings, under the umbrella of SoftBank Group, is gearing up to enter the growing field of AI chip development. The move comes as part of SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son’s ambitious vision to invest $64 billion to position the conglomerate as a leader in artificial intelligence.

Arm, a UK-based company renowned for its chip designs, plans to roll out its first AI chip products by 2025. To kickstart this initiative, Arm will establish a dedicated AI chip division, aiming to unveil a prototype as early as spring 2025. Mass production is slated to commence in the fall of the same year, with contract manufacturers handling the process.

Funding for this venture will be shouldered by Arm, with significant contributions expected from SoftBank. Negotiations are underway with prominent semiconductor manufacturers, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC), to secure production capacity.

Looking ahead, there’s speculation that once the mass production system is established, Arm’s AI chip business could potentially be spun off and integrated under the SoftBank umbrella.

The strategic move by Arm comes amidst a broader push by SoftBank to diversify its portfolio and reduce dependence on dominant players like Nvidia. CEO Masayoshi Son’s vision involves leveraging AI, semiconductor, and robotics technologies to revolutionize various industries, fueling innovation and growth.

The market outlook for AI chips appears promising, with analysts forecasting significant growth, potentially exceeding $200 billion by 2032. SoftBank sees this as a prime opportunity to capitalize on increasing demand and circumvent the limitations posed by existing players.

Financially, SoftBank is on the path to recovery, aiming to bounce back from previous losses. With ample cash reserves at its disposal, the conglomerate is well-positioned to support its ambitious investment plans across various sectors, including AI, data centers, and renewable energy.

However, the endeavor is not without risks. SoftBank has a track record of adapting to technological shifts, but significant investments always come with uncertainties, testing the mettle of SoftBank’s strategic vision.

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Artificial intelligence technologies continue to expand their reach, appearing in a wide array of products and services. Smartphones are the latest frontier, with AI features becoming increasingly common. However, these features have been limited to high-end devices due to the demanding performance requirements of AI.

Using expensive and powerful processors in every phone for AI tasks is currently impractical. To address this challenge, Korean tech giant has developed a solution “a dedicated AI accelerator chip”. Samsung plans to launch this chip, named Mach-1, in 2025. Here are the details…

Samsung Targets AI Dominance with Mach-1

Samsung recently announced its Galaxy AI alongside with the Galaxy S24 family. This includes a ChatGPT-like language model and much more artificial intelligence tasks. However, due to the high performance demands of AI, this feature is limited to a select few models. Even powerful processors like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 may struggle with some future AI applications. To address this challenge, Samsung is developing its own Mach-1 AI accelerator chip.

The company has already begun development efforts. Emerging reports indicate a chip named Mach-1 is targeted for a 2025 launch. While initial models may not be power-efficient enough for immediate smartphone integration, it’s inaccurate to dismiss the possibility of a dedicated AI chip in the Galaxy S25.

This represents a significant first step, and future iterations could lead to such advancements. Additionally, Samsung plans to not only utilize the chip internally but also market it to other companies, directly competing with Nvidia. Following Nvidia’s remarkable success in AI chips over the past two years, it’s understandable for Samsung, a major player in tech, to seek entry into this market.

The dominance of Nvidia’s AI technology is evident with companies like Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, Amazon, and Google relying on their chips, translating to billions in revenue. While Samsung is known to be developing similar processors, a concrete product launch hasn’t materialized yet. This lack of competition could potentially lead to an unbalanced market. Samsung’s entry into this field is crucial to fostering a healthy competitive environment.

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In a bid to navigate complex US export controls, California-based AI semiconductor designer Nvidia, dominating over 90% of China’s $7 billion AI chip market, is working closely with the US government. The company aims to ensure that its new chips designed for the Chinese market comply with the latest export curbs imposed by the United States.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, speaking at a news conference in Singapore, acknowledged the ongoing collaboration with the US government to develop products that align with regulatory requirements. While not confirming or denying reports of a delay in the launch of a new China-focused AI chip, Huang emphasized the company’s commitment to creating products that adhere to the evolving regulations and specified limits.

The new US curbs on chip exports are expected to open doors for Chinese rivals in the AI chip market. In response, Nvidia reportedly notified Chinese customers of a delay in the release of a China-focused AI chip, signaling the challenges the company faces in navigating the shifting regulatory landscape.

Huang revealed that seeking market advice is an integral part of Nvidia’s ongoing process, recognizing Huawei Technologies as a “formidable” competitor. Nvidia’s November earnings report warned of a substantial drop in fourth-quarter sales in China, citing the impact of the new US rules. The uncertainty surrounding the extent of change in Nvidia’s revenue, as China traditionally contributes around 20% to the company’s earnings, adds complexity to the situation.

Simultaneously, Nvidia is in talks with Singapore for potential significant investments. The company is collaborating with Singapore on the development of its own AI Large Language Model (LLM) named Sealion. Singapore, known for its vibrant AI ecosystem, has also announced a $52 million initiative to create Southeast Asia’s first LLM, showcasing the region’s growing importance in the global AI landscape.

The developments come in the wake of US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s recent appeal to Congress for additional funding beyond her $200 million budget. Raimondo emphasized the critical nature of denying China access to cutting-edge chips for national security, pointing to Nvidia’s chip redesign for the Chinese market as a prime example. The call for increased resources underscores the high-stakes nature of semiconductor technology in US-China relations and the ongoing challenges faced by industry players like Nvidia.

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In a groundbreaking move, Microsoft has unveiled its latest arsenal in the tech race, introducing two custom-designed chips, Azure Maia AI Accelerator and Azure Cobalt CPU. These chips, the result of years of covert refinement in a Silicon lab on Microsoft’s Redmond campus, are set to revolutionize the landscape of AI services and cloud computing.

Maia AI Accelerator 

The Maia chip is tailored to accelerate AI computing tasks, a direct response to the burgeoning costs associated with delivering AI services. Specifically designed to power Microsoft’s $30-a-month “Copilot” service, the Maia chip is optimized for running large language models, including those integral to Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service. By routing most AI efforts through common foundational AI models, Microsoft aims to drastically improve efficiency and tackle the challenge of high AI service costs.

Azure Cobalt CPU

Complementing Maia is the Cobalt chip, a central processing unit (CPU) strategically designed to compete with Amazon Web Services’ Graviton series of in-house chips. Utilizing technology from Arm Holdings, Cobalt has undergone rigorous testing, proving its mettle by powering Teams, Microsoft’s business messaging tool. Unlike its counterparts, Cobalt will not be restricted for internal use; Microsoft plans to sell direct access to Cobalt, presenting a competitive alternative to AWS’s chips.

Acknowledging the stiff competition with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft is keen on emphasizing the competitive performance and price-to-performance ratio of its Cobalt chip. This strategic move aligns with Microsoft’s overarching strategy, which revolves around designing chips to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and ultimately offer superior solutions to customers.

Technical details reveal that both Maia and Cobalt chips are manufactured using cutting-edge 5-nanometer technology from TSMC. The Maia chip, in a cost-effective twist, employs standard Ethernet network cabling, eschewing the more expensive custom Nvidia networking technology used in OpenAI’s supercomputers.

Analysts view Microsoft’s approach with the Maia chip as a clever maneuver, allowing the company to capitalize on selling AI services in the cloud until personal devices become powerful enough. AWS’s Graviton chip, reportedly boasting 50,000 customers, underscores the fierce competition in the AI chip market, with AWS emphasizing ongoing innovation in delivering future chip generations.

The unveiling of Maia and Cobalt chips marks a significant step in Microsoft’s quest for efficient, scalable, and sustainable computing power. These chips not only address the demands of AI workloads but also play a crucial role in optimizing infrastructure systems from silicon to servers for both internal and customer workloads.

As the tech giant sets its sights on designing second-generation versions of Maia and Cobalt, the future promises continued optimization across every layer of the technological stack for enhanced performance, power efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Microsoft’s venture into custom-designed chips is poised to reshape the AI landscape and propel the industry toward new horizons.

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To combat a shortage of advanced processors and soaring operational costs, OpenAI, the leading artificial intelligence research lab, is actively considering the development of its own AI chips. CEO Sam Altman has made acquiring advanced AI chips a priority, emphasizing the need to reduce reliance on third-party vendors, notably Nvidia, the current main supplier for OpenAI’s GPUs.

The shortage of these high-performance processors has escalated costs, with each query for OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT service now costing approximately 4 cents. To alleviate this issue, OpenAI is evaluating several options, including building its own AI chips, collaborating closely with existing chipmakers like Nvidia, and diversifying its supplier base beyond Nvidia.

OpenAI has even explored the possibility of acquiring an existing AI chip-making company, taking inspiration from Amazon’s acquisition of Annapurna Labs in 2015. However, the company faces significant challenges. Building custom AI chips is a complex and expensive process, with no assured success, as demonstrated by the struggles of other tech giants attempting similar ventures.

The demand for specialized AI chips has surged following the launch of ChatGPT, necessitating specific AI accelerators for training and running generative AI technology. Consequently, OpenAI is at a crucial crossroads, weighing the benefits of vertical integration against the risks and uncertainties associated with in-house chip development.

It’s worth noting that Microsoft, one of OpenAI’s major backers, is also in the race, developing a custom AI chip that OpenAI is currently testing. This move indicates potential distancing between the two tech entities, as OpenAI explores alternative solutions.

As of now, OpenAI has not made a final decision on whether to proceed with building custom AI chips. If the endeavor is undertaken, it is expected to be a multi-year effort, requiring substantial investment and research. OpenAI’s decision will likely shape the future landscape of AI technology, influencing not only its own operations but also the broader industry.

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As per the new report from The Information, it is revealed that Huawei could be the potential partner with Microsoft for the upcoming AI chips deal in China. Microsoft is in talks with the Chinese firm to use its AI chips in the data centres in China. Both the firms are already collaboratively working together in cloud computing to bring the Office 365 in the country. So, it isn’t surprising to see the two to deepen their partnership with such a deal.

The deal can also be termed as a an aftereffect of the recent China’s policy to use more “home” based technologies for data centers in the country. If true, then it would be for the first time that Microsoft doesn’t use AI chips from Nvidia in China. It would be a big blow for the Nvidia as already it is down in the stock market by -1.9%. Currently, Huawei is banned from use in the US due to some security concerns. So, this deal would be a relief for Huawei and it will also help it take a dominant position in the AI chip market in China.

To convince Microsoft to use its AI chips, Huawei must fulfill the U.S. company’s strict performance requirements. Some Huawei engineers are customizing the software that operates the chips in order to meet Microsoft’s standards, according to one of the people. The engineers are also conducting tests by running Microsoft’s algorithms, such as the Bing search engine’s speech recognition software, on the new Huawei chip.

There are huge benefits for both the companies, except Nvidia. Microsoft will also gain cold shoulder support from the Chinese government. Also, it could help Microsoft to build trust among the users due to native-ness of the servers.

• Read More: Microsoft Has An AI Bot In China Named Xiaoice That Can Make Voice Calls To Humans

In the upcoming months, we hope Microsoft will strengthen its position in the Chinese market. It is also helping the American giant to understand the Chinese market in more detail. In China, Microsoft is competing against already present companies such as Alibaba and Tencent. Additionally, the market would be small for the new AI chips as Nvidia AI chips are mostly in use by some big companies in China. Still, there’s big chance that Huawei’s presence would gradually increase in upcoming few months due to support from Microsoft.

Let’s see what happens in the near future as the deal has not been sealed yet.

(Source)

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News has it that Amazon will develop its own custom AI chip for use in its future echo devices. The custom AI chip is expected to improve how the Alexa voice assistant works.

The decision to design its won chip will put Amazon in the same category as Apple and Google – the two other tech giants designing custom processors for use in their devices. It will also mean loss of business for those who are current suppliers to Amazon.

Chipmakers who currently supply Amazon with chips for its Echo devices include Texas Instruments (Amazon Echo 1st Gen), Intel (Echo Show), and MediaTek ( Echo Dot 2nd Gen). If Amazon cuts them out, it sure is going to be a significant loss but with third-party manufacturers in the mix, there is still money to be made elsewhere.

Amazon seems to have been planning this for a while as its recent acquisitions have shown. According to The Information who first reported the news, Amazon acquired Annapurna Labs – an Israeli chipmaker in 2015. It also bought Blink – a security camera manufacturer last year. Amazon is also reported to have over 400 employees with chip experience.

READ MORE: Amazon’s First Wearable Product Could Be An Alexa-powered Smartglasses

No one knows how soon Amazon’s custom AI chip will appear in its Echo devices. There is also the question of who will handle fabrication. However, the good news for consumers is that Alexa will get better than it is currently.

(Source, Via)

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