Huawei Accelerates AI Chip Development in China Amid U.S. Export Controls
Nvidia has long dominated the global market for high-end AI chips, but U.S. export controls have blocked its top-tier GPUs from being sold to Chinese customers since June 2025. This shift created an opening for Huawei, which now leads in China's domestic chip development efforts. In response, Huawei announced a significant acceleration of its Ascend AI chip release schedule at the end of September 2026. Huawei’s new timeline brings forward key product launches: The Ascend 960DT will be released Q1 2027 (originally scheduled for Q4 2027), and the companion Ascend 960PR in Q3 2027 instead of Q4. Future generations, including the 970 and 980 chips with expected performance doubling each time, are set to launch by 2028 and 2029. While Huawei currently lacks the computing power or international market reach to challenge Nvidia directly, its rapid development could pose a long-term threat if it scales production effectively. For now, however, Huawei’s focus remains on satisfying domestic demand in China.
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Topics: China AI chip development Huawei Nvidia U.S. export controls