What are Huawei Ascend Chips? Models and Specifications

Huawei is making bold strides in artificial intelligence hardware despite global restrictions. The company’s Ascend series of AI chips is growing, with significant attention now focused on the 910b, 910c, and the upcoming 910d. 

These chips are being positioned as viable alternatives to NVIDIA’s high-end offerings, particularly in China where US export bans have limited access to foreign hardware. 

In this article, we will break down Huawei’s Ascend AI chip models, examine their technical specifications, and compare them with global competitors in the market.

Huawei’s Ascend Series: Evolution and Purpose

The Ascend chip family is part of Huawei’s strategy to build a local alternative to foreign AI hardware. Originally introduced in 2019, the Ascend 910 was Huawei’s first major AI chip designed for cloud computing and training large models. 

The newer models in the series build on this foundation with higher computing capacity and optimised integration.

The Ascend 910b came as a natural upgrade, maintaining the same architectural direction while improving performance efficiency. 

Its primary use cases include data centre deployment and cloud-based AI workloads. While not as widely known as NVIDIA’s GPUs, the 910b gained attention within Chinese tech circles due to its potential in AI training tasks.

Following that, the Ascend 910c took a more ambitious step. It combines two 910b chips on a single board to deliver up to 800 TFLOP/s in FP16 mode. This configuration is ideal for large-scale AI model training and inference tasks. 

However, this chip’s development has faced issues related to manufacturing yield. Built using a 7nm process from SMIC, it relies on deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography instead of more advanced methods like extreme ultraviolet (EUV), limiting its overall production success rate.

Despite the technical hurdles, the Ascend chip line remains central to China’s broader aim of establishing hardware independence in AI technology. 

With each iteration, Huawei improves computational efficiency and offers an increasingly credible substitute to leading international chips.

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Ascend 910c: Specifications, Challenges, and Market Role

The Ascend 910c is Huawei’s most powerful chip available in 2025 and stands out for its impressive raw computing power.

It delivers 800 TFLOP/s in FP16 mode and boasts a memory bandwidth of 3.2 TB/s. This makes it one of the few chips developed outside the United States that can be compared to NVIDIA’s H100 GPU, especially considering that the H100 is no longer available in China due to US export controls.

Huawei achieved this performance by integrating two Ascend 910b chips into one unit. This dual-chip setup enables significant gains in processing speed and bandwidth but also introduces complexities in manufacturing. 

As the chip is produced by SMIC using a 7nm process based on DUV lithography, its yield rate is significantly lower than chips manufactured with EUV. 

According to Mizuho Securities, the estimated yield rate for the Ascend 910c is only around 30%, which restricts the volume of successful output during fabrication.

Despite this, Huawei plans to ship as many as 700,000 units of Ascend chips in 2025. While it is unclear how many of these will be 910c chips specifically, this figure reflects Huawei’s growing production ambitions. 

With the NVIDIA H20 chip also facing limitations in China, the Ascend 910c is emerging as a logical substitute in domestic AI infrastructure.

The chip’s performance and limitations have made it a topic of close scrutiny. Chinese technology companies are actively testing it in real-world applications, and early results appear promising. 

If Huawei can resolve yield issues or at least manage around them through higher production capacity, the 910c may serve as a critical component in China’s AI development strategy throughout the year.

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Ascend 910d and Huawei’s Strategic Push Against NVIDIA

In addition to the 910b and 910c, Huawei is now preparing to test the next iteration in the series: the Ascend 910d. This chip is designed to directly rival NVIDIA’s high-end GPUs and is expected to surpass the H100 in key areas. 

The first test samples are scheduled for release in late May, with internal assessments already underway among leading Chinese tech firms.

The development of the Ascend 910d reflects Huawei’s long-term objective of achieving both performance parity and production sustainability. With US sanctions restricting NVIDIA’s ability to sell its most powerful chips in China, there is a clear market gap. 

The 910d is expected to fill that gap, offering high-performance AI computation without relying on foreign technology or advanced manufacturing processes that are currently unavailable domestically.

One of the critical points of interest will be the chip’s efficiency under load and its compatibility with existing AI frameworks. 

If the 910d can match or exceed expectations, it would represent a significant achievement for Huawei’s semiconductor arm and a blow to NVIDIA’s standing in the Chinese AI market.

At present, Huawei has not disclosed full details about the architecture or precise benchmarks for the 910d. 

However, sources suggest that it is designed with scalability and application flexibility in mind. This would enable wider deployment across different sectors, from cloud platforms to AI model training environments.

Huawei’s development strategy seems to favour consistent iteration over speculative design leaps. Each new chip is a response to specific market demands and geopolitical constraints. The 910d will likely follow this pattern, focusing on feasible improvements over radical changes. 

If successful, the chip could support Huawei’s ongoing push to strengthen local AI capability, while reducing dependence on international hardware supply chains.

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Conclusion

Huawei’s Ascend AI chip series is steadily positioning itself as a key player in China’s artificial intelligence hardware landscape. 

From the proven 910b to the ambitious 910c and the highly anticipated 910d, each chip builds towards Huawei’s goal of domestic AI self-sufficiency. 

Despite challenges in production yield, especially with the 910c, the company’s momentum and strategic timing may enable it to capture significant market share in 2025.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Ascend 910c chip used for?

It is mainly used for AI model training and inference, offering high computing performance comparable to NVIDIA’s H100 GPU.

2. Why is the Ascend 910c yield rate low?

The chip uses a 7nm process with DUV lithography, which is less efficient than EUV, leading to lower production success rates.

3. When will the Ascend 910d be available?

The first test samples are expected by late May 2025, with broader evaluations and shipments likely to follow in the second half of the year.

Investor Caution 

While the crypto hype has been exciting, remember that the crypto space can be volatile. Always conduct your research, assess your risk tolerance, and consider the long-term potential of any investment.

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