Chinese telecom giant, Huawei, has publicized it’s very first AI processor in an attempt to challenge Silicon Valley’s technology advancements.
Just this morning, Huawei gave details of the chip it designed which it hopes will be used to process the huge amount of data it takes to make AI algorithms.
The chip has been named Ascend 910 and the telecommunications firm say it is available immediately.
How the chip will help
Creating AI algorithms can take days or even weeks. The new chip will encourage the process to become quicker by storing higher amounts of data than previously. Huawei also claims that it can also train networks as quickly as a few minutes.
Eric Xu, one of Huawei’s rotating chairmen, said in a press release: “We have been making steady progress since we announced our AI strategy in October last year…Everything is moving forward according to plan, from R&D (research and development) to product launch. We promised a full-stack, all-scenario AI portfolio. And today we delivered.”
China vs the USA
The processor was created to challenge America and move China forward in the race for technological advancements. US companies like Alphabet Inc. and Nvidia Corp are currently the leaders in this sector.
However, perhaps these firms have finally met their match as in a recent Huawei event, Xu declared the palm-sized Ascend 910 to be “the industry’s most powerful A.I. processor.”
The telecom company had a particular point to make to the US as President Trump blacklisted the selling of any Huawei products amidst his belief the Chinese company is using its products to spy on the west.
“No matter what the U.S. does now, Huawei is on a mission to become self-sufficient and not beholden to the whims of the U.S. president,” said Mark Newman, an analyst at Bernstein Research.
Other products
Earlier this month, the tech company announced it is creating a homemade operating system, known as HarmonyOS. It was designed to be mostly used with products such as speakers and TV’s. However, the firm has also said that it can be adapted to smartphones if a time comes when it is needed.
