It seems like Huawei plans to ramp up the competition in the domestic markets through its next-gen AI chips, as it unveils an optimistic roadmap.
Huawei's AI Chip Roadmap Features Huge Upgrades In Compute Capabilities, With Products Planned Till 2028
Huawei is known to be one of the leading entities in China when it comes to introducing high-end 'homegrown' AI chips that are known to compete with the likes of NVIDIA's H20, and more importantly, the firm is focused explicitly on shifting to an internal tech stack, which has been the primary focus of today's roadmap showcase. Based on a report by MyDrivers, at the Huawei Connect 2025, the firm has revealed its AI chip offerings planned up till 2027, and this includes advanced options that will rely on self-built products.
Starting with the successor of the Ascend 910C, Huawei plans to launch the Ascend 950PR, which will be the company's first option to offer a self-built HBM technology. In terms of specifications, you are looking at support for low-precision data formats, up to FP8, with 1 PFLOPS of FP8 compute and 2 PFLOPS of FP4. The chip will feature an interconnect bandwidth of 2 TB/s, and the most interesting element of the 950PR is likely the use of a internal HBM technology.
It is claimed that Huawei plans to integrate their 'HiBL 1.0' HBM technology, which features a capacity of 128GB and a bandwidth of 1.6TB/s, and will be utilized in the 950PR. Huawei also has a second generation of their HBM planned, called the 'HiZQ 2.0', which will come with a capacity of 144GB and a bandwidth of 4TB/s. The Ascend 950PR is claimed to be an inference-focused chip, targeted towards prefill and recommendation performance.
Apart from the 950PR, an Ascend 950DT is also planned, slated for Q4 2026. That chip is claimed to be a training-focused option, featuring HiZQ 2.0 memory, which features increased bandwidth and memory capacity relative to the 950PR. Huawei has also unveiled options for 2027 and 2028 as well, with the Ascend 960 releasing in Q4 2027, offering 2.2 TB/s interconnected bandwidth along with 288 GB (likely HiZQ 2.0 HBM) and 9.6 TB/s memory bandwidth. The chip will feature 2 PFLOPS FP8 and 4 PFLOPS FP4 compute, which shows that there are massive upgrades planned ahead.
By 2028, Huawei will introduce the Ascend 970, with significant upgrades planned in the memory and compute segment, which means that the company will have an extensive roadmap to cater to China's computing needs moving into the future.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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