China’s Baidu Strikes a Deal with Huawei to Buy AI Chips, US restrictions opens the door for Huawei to claim more domestic market

[beijingwalker]

China’s Baidu Strikes a Deal with Huawei to Buy AI Chips, US restrictions opens the door for Huawei to claim more domestic market​

By Anubhav
-Nov 7, 2023
https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php...a.com/2023/11/07/china-baidu-huawei-ai-chips/
Baidu, the country’s web search giant, has chosen to buy a batch of homegrown AI chips from Huawei Technologies. Amidst the political pressures and trade constraints from the US, this deal shows a pivot towards local tech solutions, a trend that could reshape the tech landscape.

An order of 1600 chips has been placed, estimated at around $61 million​

With an order of 1,600 of Huawei’s Ascend 910B AI chips, Baidu is preparing for a future less reliant on foreign technology, specifically Nvidia’s AI chips, which have been the industry’s gold standard. The deal, estimated at around 450 million yuan ($61.83 million), is modest compared to the massive orders usually placed with Nvidia, but it’s the significance that counts here – it’s a step towards technological self-sufficiency for China.

Previously, Baidu wasn’t known to use Huawei’s AI chips, making this a noteworthy partnership. Although Huawei’s chips aren’t yet on par with Nvidia’s in performance, they represent the most advanced AI chips China has to offer. This shift isn’t just about Baidu’s preference; it’s a response to stringent US rules that have barred Nvidia from selling some of its top AI chips to Chinese companies.

The collaboration between Baidu and Huawei isn’t new. They have been working together since 2020, making Baidu’s AI platforms run smoothly on Huawei’s hardware. Even though Baidu has its own line of Kunlun AI chips, the reliance on Nvidia’s technology has been significant until the US restrictions prompted a change in strategy.

While analysts see US restrictions as a door opening for Huawei to claim more of the domestic market, the question remains: Can China accelerate its chipmaking prowess to not just compete but lead in the tech arena? This deal might just be a glimpse into a future where China’s tech independence is not just an aspiration but a reality.

China's Baidu Strikes a Deal with Huawei to Buy AI Chips - Gizmochina

Although Huawei's chips aren't yet on par with Nvidia's in performance, they represent the most advanced AI chips China has to offer

www.gizmochina.com

 

[Menthol]

Huawei AI chip's ecosystem is limited, because it's still very new.

Unlike Nvidia's CUDA.

To use Huawei AI chip, you need to rewrite almost everything and start again from near zero.

But despite of this, this is very important to China.

Because USA can shut down the entire China AI research, development, and industry in a single day.

 

[S10]

Because USA can shut down the entire China AI research, development, and industry in a single day.

Just like Americunts can shut down China's semiconductor industry right?

 

[K_Bin_W]

Because USA can shut down the entire China AI research, development, and industry in a single daday.slow

Slow down even that was and will be temporary but shutdown is impossible. It's like standing in front of a roaring train trying to slow it down. China is a giant.

 

[Han-Tang]

Nvidia CEO： let's go, Branden！ Let's go Trumpy！

 

[kankan326]

Huawei AI chips will be more powerful because now it can make big money and can invest more money in research

 

[StraightEdge]

This is actually a small deal in terms of money, but important in terms of strategy -

With an order of 1,600 of Huawei’s Ascend 910B AI chips, Baidu is preparing for a future less reliant on foreign technology, specifically Nvidia’s AI chips, which have been the industry’s gold standard. The deal, estimated at around 450 million yuan ($61.83 million)

The news I posted earlier is worth about $7 billions.

Huawei’s Profit Doubles With Made-in-China Chip Breakthrough

Bloomberg News Fri, October 27, 2023 at 3:50 PM GMT+7·3 min read 1 / 2 Huawei’s Profit Doubles With Made-in-China Chip Breakthrough (Bloomberg) -- Huawei Technologies Co.’s profit more than doubled during the quarter it revealed its biggest achievement in chip technology, adding to signs...

pdf.defence.pk

 

[hirobo2]

Huawei is a profit-driven company. There's no incentive to create a CUDA-like ecosystem... yet! People talk so highly of CUDA/NVidia but I see them producing way inferior graphics products than Radeon/AMD. The reason NVidia CUDA thriving right now because of their large critical mass. When there are 100,000's Huawei AI chips in use, then we will see the birth of something way superior to CUDA!