Huawei Hopes to Launch AI Chip in Korea Next Year... "Offering a Second Option Beyond Nvidia"

Ascend 950 AI Chip to Be Introduced
Huawei Signals Entry into AI Computing Infrastructure Market

Huawei has announced that it will introduce its latest artificial intelligence (AI) chip, "Ascend," to the Korean market next year.

At the "Huawei Day 2025" press conference held at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on December 26, Balian Wang, CEO of Huawei Korea, stated, "Huawei Korea plans to officially launch AI computing cards and AI data center solutions next year," adding, "We aim to provide Korean companies with a second option beyond Nvidia."

The chip to be released is expected to be the latest AI chip, "Ascend 950." CEO Wang explained, "Unlike Nvidia, we do not plan to sell the chips individually, but rather in cluster units," adding, "Huawei's strategy is not simply to provide AI cards or AI servers, but to accelerate industrial applications."

To this end, the company plans to secure competitiveness by offering end-to-end (E2E) solutions that encompass infrastructure hardware and software, including networking and storage.

CEO Wang added, "In such cases, there may be no need for partner companies for supply and sales," and continued, "We will devise a strategy that enables Huawei to directly integrate and service the products." It has been reported that Huawei Korea is currently in discussions with potential companies regarding supply agreements.

In addition, Huawei Korea will promote the creation of an ecosystem by supplying its self-developed open-source operating system (OS) "Harmony" to domestic companies next year.

CEO Wang explained, "Ownership of Harmony no longer belongs to Huawei; instead, an open-source organization is responsible for its operation and upgrades," adding, "It can be utilized not only in smartphones but also in various smart home devices."