Huawei’s Bold 3-Year Roadmap: Building a Global AI Chip Empire with Ascend 950, 960, and 970
Huawei has undergone major development in the AI chip industry for the past two years, using its Ascend family. But the company is now aiming for big wins! In the next three years, the Chinese OEM targets a dynamic AI semiconductor empire. Unlike big tech competitors like Nvidia and TSMC that boost their chip-manufacturing by using advanced technologies, Huawei has relied upon basic components and has come so far in this journey. One of these factors is the computing power.
- ✨ Strategic evolution of the Ascend AI chip family to strengthen global computing power.
- ✨ Introduction of the Ascend 950 series, featuring high-performance 950PR and 950DT models.
- ✨ Ambitious roadmap for Ascend 960 and 970 with massive leaps in memory and bandwidth.
- ✨ Focus on self-reliant semiconductor technology despite ongoing international challenges.
With the help of computing power, Huawei AI chip development reached certain heights amid constant challenges from the US. The company maintains that it will keep evolving Ascend chips to strengthen the base of AI computing power both in China and worldwide. As of now, Huawei has set bigger plans for the next three years. The OEM will work on three new series of Ascend chips: Ascend 950, Ascend 960, and Ascend 970.
The Ascend 950 Series: Prefill, Recommendations, and Training
The first phase involves the Ascend 950 series, which includes the 950PR and the Ascend 950DT. One of them has already made its debut in the market with Atlas 350. Details reveal that the former will help with prefill and recommendations, whereas the latter is designed for decoding and training. Both will use the same die structure as the basic Ascend 950.
The Ascend 950DT will specifically target two scenarios: the decode stage of inference and complete model training. It integrates HiZQ 2.0 HBM that delivers 144GB and 4TB/s memory access bandwidth, fulfilling the requirements of both interconnect and memory access. The Ascend 950DT provides:
- 144GB of high-speed memory.
- 4TB/s memory access bandwidth.
- 2TB/s interconnect bandwidth.
- Support for FP8, MXFP8, XMFp4, and HiF8 data formats.
Huawei has just unveiled the Ascend 950PR, arriving right on schedule as announced in September 2025. The more powerful Ascend 950DT is currently scheduled for a Q4 2026 release.
Future Horizons: The Ascend 960 and 970 Leaps
The year 2027 will see the Ascend 960 take the stage. This chip is expected to offer twice the computing power, memory access bandwidth, and memory capacity compared to its predecessors. With more interconnect ports, it will significantly elevate the training and inference performance of complex AI models. Furthermore, it will support the HiF4 data format to optimize 4-bit precision, aiming to deliver greater accuracy than other FP4 solutions currently available on the market.
Looking even further ahead, the Huawei Ascend 970 series is slated to enter the market in the fourth quarter of 2028. The current plan is to double the computing power in FP4 and FP8, double the interconnect bandwidth, and increase memory access by at least 1.5 times. It will be fascinating to see how these developments reshape Huawei's position in the global tech landscape over the next three years.
What is the primary goal of Huawei's new AI chip roadmap?
Huawei aims to build a dynamic and self-reliant AI semiconductor empire within the next three years, focusing on increasing global AI computing power despite international technological challenges.
How does the Ascend 950DT improve upon previous models?
The Ascend 950DT is designed for model training and inference decoding. It features 144GB of memory and a massive 4TB/s memory access bandwidth, utilizing HiZQ 2.0 HBM technology.
When can we expect the Ascend 960 and 970 to be released?
The Ascend 960 is scheduled for a 2027 release, while the cutting-edge Ascend 970 series is expected to hit the market in the fourth quarter of 2028.
What technical improvements will the Ascend 960 bring?
The Ascend 960 is planned to double the computing power and memory capacity of previous versions, while introducing support for the HiF4 data format for superior 4-bit precision.
🔎 Huawei's ambitious strategy for its Ascend AI chip family highlights a significant shift toward technological sovereignty. By focusing on massive improvements in memory bandwidth and computing power, the company is positioning itself as a formidable player in the global AI race. The next three years will be a critical period as Huawei rolls out the 950, 960, and 970 series, potentially redefining the standards for high-performance AI hardware.
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