Huawei Pushes AI Chip Exports to Middle East & Southeast Asia to Challenge Nvidia
Huawei is making strategic moves to export its Ascend AI chips to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand as it aims to break U.S. chipmaker dominance and expand into fast-growing global AI markets.
DAte
Jul 10, 2025
Category
Tech & AI
Reading Time
6–8 Minutes
Published July 10, 2025, by Reuters via Bloomberg, Huawei is offering its Ascend 910B AI chips to potential customers in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand, seeking to capitalize on surging demand in those regions and compete directly with Nvidia’s entrenched position.
Though discussions are in early stages—with no finalized deals—Huawei is also promoting remote access to the more advanced CloudMatrix 384, powered by Ascend 910C chips. However, access remains limited due to constrained supply. The firm is concurrently prioritizing shipments of 910C chips domestically to companies excluded from U.S. offerings due to export restrictions.
This initiative comes amid dramatic growth in the Middle East's AI infrastructure deployment, where U.S. competitors have already secured multi-year, high-volume chip agreements worth hundreds of thousands of units.
Key Highlights
New markets: Targeting UAE, Saudi Arabia, Thailand
Product offered: Ascend 910B AI chips; remote access to CloudMatrix 384 (910C-based)
Deal status: No agreements yet, initial interest varied
Strategic aim: Counter Nvidia's dominance in fast-growing AI regions
Domestic focus: 910C chips allocated within China due to U.S. export limits
Why This Matters
Geopolitical tech shift: Huawei’s entry challenges U.S. chip hegemony and reflects China's broader AI ambitions.
Market diversification: Moving to the Middle East and Southeast Asia hedges reliance on domestic sales and positions Huawei in emerging AI hubs.
Competitive tension: This intensifies the global AI chip rivalry, with implications for pricing, supply chains, and innovation.
Infrastructure build-out: As nations ramp up AI/data center investments, Huawei’s integration could offer alternative hardware solutions.
Source:
Reuters– Full Article
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