Huawei Projected to Ship 700,000 Ascend AI Chips in 2025 Despite Yield Challenges
Mizuho Securities analyst Vijay Rakesh predicts that Huawei will ship approximately 700,000 units of its Ascend AI chips, including the 910a, 910b, and 910c models, by 2025. The report highlights significant production hurdles, specifically low manufacturing yields caused by the use of 7nm deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography processes executed by SMIC. The yield rate for the advanced Ascend 910c is estimated at only 30%, which constrains overall shipment volumes. Technically, the Ascend 910c combines two older 910b chips to deliver 800 TFLOP/s in FP16 mode and 3.2 TB/s memory bandwidth, positioning it as a competitive alternative to NVIDIA’s H100 GPU. This development occurs amidst strict US export controls that have banned the sale of NVIDIA’s high-end chips and forced the release of downgraded versions like the H20 in China. Consequently, the more powerful Ascend 910c is becoming an increasingly attractive option for Chinese enterprises seeking robust AI computing capabilities. The chip is currently in mass production and expected to launch commercially in China soon, marking a critical step in Huawei's effort to sustain its AI infrastructure growth despite external geopolitical pressures and technical limitations.
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Huawei Projected to Ship 700,000 Ascend AI Chips in 2025 Despite Yield Challenges
Mizuho Securities analyst Vijay Rakesh predicts that Huawei will ship approximately 700,000 units of its Ascend AI chips, including the 910a, 910b, and 910c models, by 2025. The report highlights significant production hurdles, specifically low manufacturing yields caused by the use of 7nm deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography processes executed by SMIC. The yield rate for the advanced Ascend 910c is estimated at only 30%, which constrains overall shipment volumes. Technically, the Ascend 910c combines two older 910b chips to deliver 800 TFLOP/s in FP16 mode and 3.2 TB/s memory bandwidth, positioning it as a competitive alternative to NVIDIA’s H100 GPU. This development occurs amidst strict US export controls that have banned the sale of NVIDIA’s high-end chips and forced the release of downgraded versions like the H20 in China. Consequently, the more powerful Ascend 910c is becoming an increasingly attractive option for Chinese enterprises seeking robust AI computing capabilities. The chip is currently in mass production and expected to launch commercially in China soon, marking a critical step in Huawei's effort to sustain its AI infrastructure growth despite external geopolitical pressures and technical limitations.
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