Huawei Plans 2027 AI Chip Launches, Touts UnifiedBus Scaling

Huawei Technologies will launch two new artificial-intelligence semiconductors in 2027, rotating chairman David Wang said, as the Chinese company builds its AI computing business and seeks to challenge US chipmaker Nvidia. Huawei plans to launch the 960DT in the first quarter of 2027 and the Ascend 960PR in the third quarter, Wang said. ^[1]

Wang said at a company event in Shanghai that Huawei's UnifiedBus technology would be a key link in its next generation of large AI systems, intended to help chips share information and work together more efficiently. Most advanced AI programmes require more processing power than a single chip can provide, the report added. ^[1]

Huawei has developed 11 semiconductors based on UnifiedBus technology for use in its large systems, Wang said, while its largest linked systems, which the company calls superclusters, can support up to 1 million AI processors. The company has shipped more than 1,000 smaller linked systems, called supernodes, to more than 370 customers, according to Wang. ^{[1] [1]}

Wang did not say how many chips could be connected within a single supernode, name customers, or give a breakdown of shipments. He also said Huawei's AI chip ecosystem had 5,270 monthly active developers. ^{[1] [1]}

The reported plans come amid US-China competition over the chips, data centres and software that underpin AI. Washington has imposed export controls restricting China's access to certain advanced computing chips and manufacturing equipment, while Chinese companies and policymakers have emphasised domestic alternatives, making the ability to connect chips increasingly important. The report noted Huawei still faces Nvidia, whose hardware and software tools are widely used by developers worldwide. ^{[1] [1]}