Huawei to Launch AI Chip in Korea Next Year, Offering an Alternative to 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.

On December 26, at the "Huawei Day 2025" press conference held at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Balian Wang, CEO of Huawei Korea, stated, "Huawei Korea plans to officially launch AI computing cards and AI data center-related 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 individual chips, but rather to offer them in cluster units," and added, "Huawei's strategy is not limited to providing AI cards and AI servers, but also to accelerating 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 networks and storage.

CEO Wang further stated, "In such cases, there may be no need for partner companies for supply and sales," and added, "We will develop a strategy so that Huawei can directly integrate and service the products." It is 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, "The ownership of Harmony no longer belongs to Huawei; an open-source-related institution is now responsible for its operation and upgrades," adding, "It can be used not only in smartphones but also in a variety of smart home devices."