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Straits Times
12-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Huawei seeks AI chip clients in Middle East, South-east Asia
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Huawei Technologies Co. is trying to export small quantities of AI chips to the Middle East and South-east Asia. BEIJING - Huawei Technologies Co is trying to export small quantities of AI chips to the Middle East and South-east Asia, an effort to establish a foothold in markets dominated by Nvidia Corp. despite ongoing manufacturing challenges. The hardware giant - China's strongest competitor to leading US chipmakers - has reached out to potential customers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Thailand about purchasing its older-generation Ascend 910B processors, according to people familiar with the matter. The two Gulf nations recently struck deals for well over a million Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. chips over several years. Thailand's artificial intelligence efforts similarly rely on Nvidia. Huawei is offering 910B volumes in the low thousands, according to the people, though the exact number for any particular pitch remains unclear. The company is also trying to woo customers with remote access to CloudMatrix 384, the people said. That's a China-based AI system built with more advanced Ascend 910C chips - which Huawei isn't currently prepared to export due to limited supplies, according to a person familiar with the company's thinking. Huawei is focused on selling 910Cs to Chinese firms that can't access best-in-class American chips, the person said. Huawei's efforts haven't produced any finalised deals, the people said - though they indicate the company, which Nvidia has called a formidable competitor, wants to give foreign AI markets a taste of its technology as it works to boost manufacturing output. The proposals also have garnered attention from policymakers in Washington, who want to ensure that the world builds AI systems using American, not Chinese, technology. US officials - and Huawei itself - estimate that the Ascend lineup trails Nvidia's offerings by a generation or more. Parties in the UAE - including the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence - haven't shown interest, the people said, while the status of talks in Thailand is unclear. Representatives for the UAE government didn't respond to requests for comment, while Thai officials didn't immediately respond on a public holiday. 'We can confirm that MBZUAI has had no engagements whatsoever with Huawei regarding the use of their hardware at the university,' a spokesman for the school said in an emailed statement. 'Any reports or assumptions to the contrary are inaccurate.' Huawei has also pursued a deal for some 3,000 Ascend chips in Malaysia, Bloomberg News has reported, though the status of that project is unclear. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, seems open to potential purchases - including by the Saudi Data & AI Authority or SDAIA, according to one person who described those conversations as advanced. The Saudi government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, while a SDAIA spokesperson said that 'at this stage, we're not in a position to provide a comment as the matter is outside our current scope.' A senior Trump administration official has said Huawei can only make 200,000 AI chips this year, which are expected to be delivered mostly within China, where demand exceeds a million processors. That number doesn't include a stockpile of 2.9 million Ascend 910B dies Huawei managed to source from production powerhouse Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. But Washington 'shouldn't take too much comfort in the fact that China's production of these advanced chips is relatively small, because we know they have global ambitions,' Commerce Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler told lawmakers in June. Huawei declined to comment for this story, which is based on interviews with around a half-dozen people who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The company said earlier in 2025 it hasn't shipped Ascend chips to Malaysia, and the Malaysian government has also distanced itself from that private project. US officials are particularly focused on AI infrastructure projects in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, given those regions' technological ambitions as well as their longtime ties to Beijing – and Huawei. While many governments have sought to avoid picking sides in the US-China AI race, Washington has applied increasing pressure for those decisions by warning companies against using Huawei AI processors - while offering access to advanced American chips, but only under certain conditions. Those conditions, though, have yet to be determined. Nearly two months after the Trump administration said it would overhaul a Biden-era framework, officials remain divided on the national security implications of Nvidia and AMD sales to places like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The Commerce Department has drafted but not finalized a rule that would formalize its May announcement and extend licence requirements on AI chips to Malaysia and Thailand – but which doesn't constitute a comprehensive replacement to Biden's approach. The agency also hasn't approved chip shipments for billions of dollars in AI deals touted as part of President Donald Trump's May trip to the Persian Gulf, people familiar with the matter said. AI chip exports to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations have required US licenses since 2023. Nvidia declined to comment. AMD and the Commerce Department didn't respond to requests for comment. For Trump officials who have argued in favour of those projects, Huawei's attempts to export Ascend chips are all the more reason to move quickly – so that the company doesn't lock in customers now and then ship larger volumes in the future, people familiar with the matter said. But others remain worried that sizable exports of US chips could ultimately benefit Beijing, and argue that Nvidia's dominance gives Washington leverage to impose stronger security conditions on overseas data centres. In these officials' view, people familiar with the matter said, the fact that Huawei is only offering foreign customers a few thousand Ascend chips – and not even its best ones – illustrates exactly why the US can afford to take its time. In Saudi Arabia, where a state-backed AI fund has said it would divest from China if the US asked, the government has long collaborated with Huawei on AI initiatives. But it remains unclear whether SDAIA would move forward with an Ascend 910B deal – or how the US could respond. The Commerce Department earlier in 2025 said use of Huawei's Ascend chips 'anywhere in the world' could be a violation of US trade restrictions, which the agency says cover those processors because Huawei uses American technology in its production process. Amid backlash from Beijing, the Commerce Department removed that global reference, though the guidance still says that unapproved use of the Ascend 910B, 910C or 910D - a future Huawei model - may result in penalties from Washington. BLOOMBERG
Bangkok Post
11-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Huawei seeks AI chip customers in Middle East, Thailand
Huawei Technologies is trying to export small quantities of AI chips to the Middle East and Southeast Asia, an effort to establish a foothold in markets dominated by Nvidia Corp. despite ongoing manufacturing challenges. Huawei seeks AI chip customers in Middle East, Thailand Huawei Technologies is trying to export small quantities of AI chips to the Middle East and Southeast Asia, an effort to establish a foothold in markets dominated by Nvidia Corp. despite ongoing manufacturing challenges. The hardware giant — China's strongest competitor to leading US chipmakers — has reached out to potential customers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Thailand about purchasing its older-generation Ascend 910B processors, according to people familiar with the matter. The two Gulf nations recently struck deals for well over a million Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices chips over several years. Thailand's artificial intelligence efforts similarly rely on Nvidia. Huawei is offering 910B volumes in the low thousands, according to the people, though the exact number for any particular pitch remains unclear. The company is also trying to woo customers with remote access to CloudMatrix 384, the people said. That's a China-based AI system built with more advanced Ascend 910C chips — which Huawei isn't currently prepared to export due to limited supplies, according to a person familiar with the company's thinking. Huawei is focused on selling 910Cs to Chinese firms that can't access best-in-class American chips, the person said. Huawei's efforts haven't produced any finalised deals, the people said — though they indicate the company, which Nvidia has called a formidable competitor, wants to give foreign AI markets a taste of its technology as it works to boost manufacturing output. The proposals also have garnered attention from policymakers in Washington, who want to ensure that the world builds AI systems using American, not Chinese, technology. US officials — and Huawei itself — estimate that the Ascend lineup trails Nvidia's offerings by a generation or more. Parties in the UAE — including the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence — haven't shown interest, the people said, while the status of talks in Thailand is unclear. Representatives for the UAE government and the university didn't respond to requests for comment, while Thai officials didn't immediately respond on a public holiday. Huawei has also pursued a deal for some 3,000 Ascend chips in Malaysia, Bloomberg News has reported, though the status of that project is unclear. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, seems open to potential purchases — including by the Saudi Data & AI Authority or SDAIA, according to one person who described those conversations as advanced. The Saudi government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, while a SDAIA spokesperson said that 'at this stage, we're not in a position to provide a comment as the matter is outside our current scope.' A senior Trump administration official has said Huawei can only make 200,000 AI chips this year, which are expected to be delivered mostly within China, where demand exceeds a million processors. (That number doesn't include a stockpile of 2.9 million Ascend 910B dies Huawei managed to source from production powerhouse Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing) But Washington 'shouldn't take too much comfort in the fact that China's production of these advanced chips is relatively small, because we know they have global ambitions,' Commerce Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler told lawmakers last month. Huawei declined to comment for this story, which is based on interviews with around a half-dozen people who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The company said earlier this year it hasn't shipped Ascend chips to Malaysia, and the Malaysian government has also distanced itself from that private project. US officials are particularly focused on AI infrastructure projects in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, given those regions' technological ambitions as well as their longtime ties to Beijing — and Huawei. While many governments have sought to avoid picking sides in the US-China AI race, Washington has applied increasing pressure for those decisions by warning companies against using Huawei AI processors — while offering access to advanced American chips, but only under certain conditions. Those conditions, though, have yet to be determined. Nearly two months after the Trump administration said it would overhaul a Biden-era framework, officials remain divided on the national security implications of Nvidia and AMD sales to places like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The Commerce Department has drafted but not finalised a rule that would formalise its May announcement and extend license requirements on AI chips to Malaysia and Thailand — but which doesn't constitute a comprehensive replacement to Biden's approach. The agency also hasn't approved chip shipments for billions of dollars in AI deals touted as part of US President Donald Trump's May trip to the Persian Gulf, people familiar with the matter said. AI chip exports to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations have required US licenses since 2023. Nvidia declined to comment. AMD and the Commerce Department didn't respond to requests for comment. For Trump officials who've argued in favour of those projects, Huawei's attempts to export Ascend chips are all the more reason to move quickly — so that the company doesn't lock in customers now and then ship larger volumes in the future, people familiar with the matter said. But others remain worried that sizable exports of US chips could ultimately benefit Beijing, and argue that Nvidia's dominance gives Washington leverage to impose stronger security conditions on overseas data centres. In these officials' view, people familiar with the matter said, the fact that Huawei is only offering foreign customers a few thousand Ascend chips — and not even its best ones — illustrates exactly why the United States can afford to take its time. In Saudi Arabia, where a state-backed AI fund has said it would divest from China if the US asked, the government has long collaborated with Huawei on AI initiatives. But it remains unclear whether SDAIA would move forward with an Ascend 910B deal — or how the US could respond. The Commerce Department earlier this year said use of Huawei's Ascend chips 'anywhere in the world' could be a violation of US trade restrictions, which the agency says cover those processors because Huawei uses American technology in its production process. Amid backlash from Beijing, the Commerce Department removed that global reference, though the guidance still says that unapproved use of the Ascend 910B, 910C or 910D — a future Huawei model — may result in penalties from Washington.
Business Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Huawei seeks AI chip customers in Middle East, South-east Asia
[HONG KONG] Huawei Technologies is trying to export small quantities of artificial intelligence (AI) chips to the Middle East and South-east Asia, an effort to establish a foothold in markets dominated by Nvidia despite ongoing manufacturing challenges. The hardware giant, China's strongest competitor to leading US chipmakers, has reached out to potential customers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Thailand about purchasing its older-generation Ascend 910B processors, according to sources familiar with the matter. The two Gulf nations recently struck deals for well over a million Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) chips over several years. Thailand's AI efforts similarly rely on Nvidia. Huawei is offering 910B volumes in the low thousands, according to the sources, though the exact number for any particular pitch remains unclear. The company is also trying to woo customers with remote access to CloudMatrix 384, the sources said. That's a China-based AI system built with more advanced Ascend 910C chips, which Huawei is not currently prepared to export due to limited supplies, according to a source familiar with the company's thinking. Huawei is focused on selling 910Cs to Chinese firms that cannot access best-in-class American chips, the source said. Huawei's efforts have not produced any finalised deals, the sources said, though they indicate the company, which Nvidia has called a formidable competitor, wants to give foreign AI markets a taste of its technology as it works to boost manufacturing output. The proposals also have garnered attention from policymakers in Washington, who want to ensure that the world builds AI systems using American, not Chinese, technology. US officials and Huawei itself, estimate that the Ascend lineup trails Nvidia's offerings by a generation or more. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Parties in the UAE, including the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, have not shown interest, the sources said, while the status of talks in Thailand is unclear. Representatives for the UAE government and the university did not respond to requests for comment, while Thai officials did not immediately respond on a public holiday. Huawei has also pursued a deal for some 3,000 Ascend chips in Malaysia, Bloomberg News has reported, though the status of that project is unclear. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, seems open to potential purchases, including by the Saudi Data & AI Authority or SDAIA, according to one source who described those conversations as advanced. The Saudi government did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while a SDAIA spokesperson said that 'at this stage, we are not in a position to provide a comment as the matter is outside our current scope'. A senior Trump administration official has said Huawei can only make 200,000 AI chips this year, which are expected to be delivered mostly within China, where demand exceeds a million processors. (That number does not include a stockpile of 2.9 million Ascend 910B dies Huawei managed to source from production powerhouse Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) But Washington 'should not take too much comfort in the fact that China's production of these advanced chips is relatively small, because we know they have global ambitions', Commerce Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler told lawmakers last month. Huawei declined to comment for this story, which is based on interviews with around a half-dozen people who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The company said earlier this year that it has not shipped Ascend chips to Malaysia, and the Malaysian government has also distanced itself from that private project. US officials are particularly focused on AI infrastructure projects in the Middle East and South-east Asia, given those regions' technological ambitions as well as their longtime ties to Beijing and Huawei. While many governments have sought to avoid picking sides in the US-China AI race, Washington has applied increasing pressure for those decisions by warning companies against using Huawei AI processors, while offering access to advanced American chips, but only under certain conditions. Those conditions, though, have yet to be determined. Nearly two months after the Trump administration said it would overhaul a Biden-era framework, officials remain divided on the national security implications of Nvidia and AMD sales to places such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The Commerce Department has drafted but not finalised a rule that would formalise its May announcement and extend license requirements on AI chips to Malaysia and Thailand, but which does not constitute a comprehensive replacement to Biden's approach. The agency also has not approved chip shipments for billions of US dollars in AI deals touted as part of US President Donald Trump's May trip to the Persian Gulf, sources familiar with the matter said. AI chip exports to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations have required US licenses since 2023. Nvidia declined to comment. AMD and the Commerce Department did not respond to requests for comment. For Trump officials who have argued in favour of those projects, Huawei's attempts to export Ascend chips are all the more reason to move quickly, so that the company does not lock in customers now and then ship larger volumes in the future, sources familiar with the matter said. But others remain worried that sizeable exports of US chips could ultimately benefit Beijing, and argue that Nvidia's dominance gives Washington leverage to impose stronger security conditions on overseas data centres. In these officials' view, sources familiar with the matter said, the fact that Huawei is only offering foreign customers a few thousand Ascend chips, and not even its best ones, illustrates exactly why the US can afford to take its time. In Saudi Arabia, where a state-backed AI fund has said it would divest from China if the US asked, the government has long collaborated with Huawei on AI initiatives. But it remains unclear whether SDAIA would move forward with an Ascend 910B deal, or how the US could respond. The Commerce Department earlier this year said use of Huawei's Ascend chips 'anywhere in the world' could be a violation of US trade restrictions, which the agency says cover those processors because Huawei uses American technology in its production process. Amid backlash from Beijing, the Commerce Department removed that global reference, though the guidance still says that unapproved use of the Ascend 910B, 910C or 910D, a future Huawei model, may result in penalties from Washington. BLOOMBERG
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First Post
10-07-2025
- Business
- First Post
Huawei eyes AI chip foothold in foreign markets as supply challenges drag on
The Chinese tech giant has approached potential buyers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand to promote its older-generation Ascend 910B processors read more Facing supply chain challenges, Huawei is looking to sell its AI chips in new foreign markets. Reuters Huawei Technologies Co. is attempting to export small batches of artificial intelligence chips to the West Asia and Southeast Asia, aiming to break into markets currently dominated by Nvidia Corp., despite manufacturing limitations. The Chinese tech giant has approached potential buyers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand to promote its older-generation Ascend 910B processors, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have already signed multiyear deals for more than a million Nvidia and AMD chips, while Thailand's AI development also depends heavily on Nvidia. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Huawei is reportedly offering volumes of the 910B in the low thousands, although the exact numbers vary by pitch. The company is also promoting remote access to CloudMatrix 384, an AI system based in China built with the more advanced Ascend 910C chips, the people said. One person familiar with the company's plans said Huawei is not prepared to export the 910C yet due to limited availability and is prioritising sales within China to firms that cannot buy top-tier US chips. No confirmed deals have emerged from these outreach efforts, but Huawei's proposals demonstrate its aim to expose international AI markets to its technology while ramping up production capacity. The initiative has attracted attention from US policymakers, who remain concerned about the spread of Chinese-built AI infrastructure and want to ensure American technology leads globally. Huawei itself has acknowledged that its Ascend chips lag behind Nvidia's by at least one generation. In the UAE, parties including the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence have not expressed interest, according to the sources. The status of discussions in Thailand remains uncertain. The UAE government and university did not respond to requests for comment, and Thai officials were unavailable due to a public holiday. Huawei has also reportedly pursued a deal involving about 3,000 Ascend chips in Malaysia, according to Bloomberg News, though it is unclear where those negotiations stand. Saudi Arabia appears more receptive, particularly through the Saudi Data and AI Authority, or SDAIA, one source said, describing those talks as 'advanced'. The Saudi government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A SDAIA spokesperson said, 'at this stage, we're not in a position to provide a comment as the matter is outside our current scope.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to a former Trump administration official, Huawei is only expected to produce 200,000 AI chips this year, most of which will be delivered within China, where demand exceeds one million chips. This estimate excludes a stockpile of 2.9 million Ascend 910B chip dies that Huawei reportedly acquired from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Commerce Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler told US lawmakers last month that Washington 'shouldn't take too much comfort in the fact that China's production of these advanced chips is relatively small, because we know they have global ambitions.' Huawei declined to comment. The information in this report is based on interviews with around six individuals familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Earlier this year, Huawei stated it had not shipped Ascend chips to Malaysia, and the Malaysian government has also distanced itself from that private-sector effort.
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Taiwan adds China's Huawei, SMIC to export control list
Taiwan's government has added China's Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) to its export control list, which includes other proscribed organisations like the Taliban and al Qaeda. Inclusion on the economy ministry's trade administration's strategic high-tech commodities entity list means Taiwanese companies will need government approval before exporting any products to the companies. The companies were included in an updated version of the ministry's trade administration's website late on Saturday. Neither company nor the economy ministry immediately responded to requests for comment outside of office hours at the weekend. Taiwan is home to TSMC , the world's largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier of chips to AI darling Nvidia. Both Huawei and SMIC have been working hard to catch up in the chip technology race. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory despite the strong objections of Taipei's government, already has tight chip export controls when it comes to Taiwanese companies either manufacturing in the country or supplying Chinese firms. Huawei, which is at the centre of China's AI ambitions, is on a U.S. Commerce Department trade list that essentially bars it from receiving US goods and technology, as well as foreign-made goods such as chips from companies like TSMC made with US technology. Last October, TechInsights, a Canadian tech research firm, took apart Huawei's 910B AI processor and found a TSMC chip in it. The multi-chip 910B is viewed as the most advanced AI accelerator mass-produced by a Chinese company. TSMC suspended shipments to China-based chip designer Sophgo, whose chip matched the one in the Huawei 910B and, in November the US Commerce Department ordered TSMC to halt shipments of more chips to Chinese customers. Taiwan's government has also repeatedly vowed to crack down on what it says are efforts by Chinese companies, including SMIC, to steal technology and entice chip talent away from the island. SMIC is China's largest chipmaker and has ramped up investment to expand production capacity and strengthen China's domestic semiconductor capability in the face of sweeping US export controls.
