Huawei builds robust AI chip ecosystem despite US bans

Huawei Technologies Co has built a robust ecosystem around its Ascend chips for AI computing and its server chips Kunpeng, despite the US government's restrictions.

Zhou Jun, head of ICT marketing department at Huawei, said in a recent speech in Beijing that the company has attracted over 6.65 million third-party developers and more than 8,800 partners globally as of May 2025 for its Ascend and Kunpeng chips ecosystem, with more than 23,900 industry solutions certified.

These developers and partners are developing industry-specific solutions based on Huawei's Ascend or Kunpeng chips.

According to Huawei, over 100 partners have launched DeepSeek all-in-one AI solutions based on Ascend chips, deploying more than 500 intelligent applications in industries spanning finance, government, energy, manufacturing, and education.

DeepSeek is a popular open-source large language model developed by a Chinese startup. These all-in-one AI solutions integrate DeepSeek into them and are easy to be deployed for use.

Zhou said Huawei is doubling down on its "All Intelligence" strategy, focusing on building a robust, open, and developer-friendly computing foundation powered by its Ascend chips.

The move came as Huawei's Ascend chips are increasingly used by Chinese companies to train AI models, because Washington restricted export of the US company Nvidia's most advanced AI chips to China.