- Baidu, a leading Chinese AI company, ordered 1,600 of Huawei’s 910B Ascend AI chips to be used in 200 servers in August 2023, ahead of tightened U.S. export restrictions on chips and chip tools to China.
- The total value of the order is around 450 million yuan ($61.83 million), and Huawei is expected to deliver all of the chips by the end of the year.
- Baidu, a long-time Nvidia client, has turned to Huawei’s Ascend chips as a possible alternative to Nvidia chips due to U.S. restrictions.
- While Huawei’s Ascend chips are considered less powerful than Nvidia’s, they are the most advanced domestic option in China.
- The order signifies a shift away from Nvidia by some Chinese tech firms. Baidu and Huawei did not comment on the matter, and Nvidia declined to comment.
- Huawei is capitalizing on opportunities in its $7 billion domestic market due to U.S. export controls, and it has made advances in its semiconductor technology.