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Huawei unveils chip and computing power roadmap in challenge to Nvidia

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Huawei on Thursday publicly detailed its long-term semiconductor ambitions for the first time, pledging annual upgrades to its Ascend AI chips and unveiling plans for powerful computing systems designed to rival Nvidia (NVDA.O).

At its annual Huawei Connect conference in Shanghai, rotating chairman Eric Xu said the company will follow a one-year release cycle that doubles computing power with each generation. Huawei also revealed it has developed its own high-bandwidth memory, a technology currently dominated by South Korea’s SK Hynix (000660.KS) and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS).

Xu said Huawei’s upcoming Atlas 950 supernode, slated for launch in late 2026, will connect 8,192 Ascend chips, while the Atlas 960 in 2027 will link 15,488 chips. He claimed these systems will “far exceed” competitors on key performance metrics. Huawei will also release new Kunpeng server chips in 2026 and 2028.

The roadmap underscores China’s push to reduce reliance on U.S. suppliers amid intensifying trade and technology tensions. This week, Beijing accused Nvidia of antitrust violations and ordered major Chinese firms to halt purchases of its AI chips, according to the Financial Times. The moves come just before a scheduled meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

Huawei first entered chipmaking in 2018 but retreated from public disclosures after U.S. sanctions in 2019 restricted its access to advanced chipmaking tools. Since then, analysts say the company has become a leader in China’s domestic semiconductor push. Its current AI flagship, the Ascend 910C, launched earlier this year, with the Ascend 950 due in 2025, followed by the 960 in 2027 and the 970 in 2028.

Despite these advances, engineers at Chinese tech firms acknowledge Nvidia’s chips remain more powerful. U.S. export controls continue to limit Huawei’s access to cutting-edge manufacturing technology, though Washington recently eased some restrictions on downgraded Nvidia chip sales.

“Huawei is leveraging its networking strengths and China’s power supply advantages to push aggressively into supernodes, offsetting lagging chip manufacturing,” said Wang Shen of Omdia.

Chinese semiconductor stocks rose 3.4% on Thursday after reports of the Nvidia purchase ban. Beijing’s foreign ministry responded cautiously, saying China remains open to dialogue to stabilize global supply chains.

Nvidia and HPE Partner to Build New Supercomputer in Germany

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Nvidia and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced a collaboration with Germany’s Leibniz Supercomputing Centre to construct a new supercomputer named Blue Lion, which will incorporate Nvidia’s next-generation Vera Rubin chips. The system is scheduled to become operational for scientific use in early 2027.

The announcement, made during a supercomputing conference in Hamburg, Germany, follows similar developments in the United States, where Nvidia recently revealed that Lawrence Berkeley National Lab will also deploy systems utilizing Vera Rubin chips next year.

Additionally, Nvidia confirmed that Jupiter, a separate supercomputer at Forschungszentrum Jülich, has officially become Europe’s fastest system, further cementing Nvidia’s growing role in global supercomputing efforts.

These initiatives reflect a broader push by European research institutions to maintain competitiveness with U.S. advancements in supercomputing, which serve critical scientific domains such as biotechnology, physics, and climate research.

Nvidia, which initially gained prominence by offering chips to accelerate complex scientific calculations, is now working to integrate artificial intelligence into these processes. Traditional models, like climate change simulations, require extensive and precise computations that often take months to complete. Nvidia’s AI approach aims to significantly shorten this timeline while still delivering valuable predictive insights.

As part of this strategy, Nvidia introduced its Climate in a Bottle AI model. According to Dion Harris, Nvidia’s head of data center product marketing, the system allows researchers to input initial conditions such as sea surface temperatures to generate 10- to 30-year forecasts, offering highly localized projections of future weather patterns.

“Researchers will use a combined approach of classic physics and AI to resolve turbulent atmospheric flows,” Harris explained. “This technique will allow them to analyze thousands and thousands more scenarios in greater detail than ever before.”

The ongoing evolution of Nvidia’s supercomputing and AI capabilities underscores its expanding influence beyond its traditional markets and highlights a significant technological shift in global scientific research methodologies.

NASA Leverages Supercomputing to Advance Space Missions and Earth Science

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NASA is at the forefront of leveraging supercomputing to enhance both space exploration and Earth-based research. The agency is utilizing high-performance computing (HPC) to drive innovations that stretch from groundbreaking space missions to addressing environmental concerns on Earth. At the International Conference for High Performance Computing (SC24), NASA is demonstrating how these advanced technologies are integral to its most critical endeavors, such as the Artemis program, sustainable aviation, and the study of cosmic phenomena. Dr. Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, will highlight these advancements in her keynote address, “NASA’s Vision for High Impact Science and Exploration,” on November 19.

One of the significant achievements of NASA’s supercomputing capabilities is the refinement of the Artemis launch systems. At NASA Ames Research Center, simulations using supercomputers have been instrumental in optimizing the Artemis II launch environment. Research revealed how pressure waves from the rocket’s exhaust gases damaged critical components during the Artemis I mission. These findings allowed engineers to redesign key infrastructure, such as the flame deflector and mobile launcher, ensuring greater safety for astronauts during the upcoming Artemis II mission in 2025.

In addition to space exploration, NASA’s supercomputing power is also playing a key role in the future of aviation. By utilizing advanced computational models, NASA researchers are working to optimize aircraft designs for improved fuel efficiency. Simulations of wing and fuselage shapes are helping to reduce drag, which could result in a 4% improvement in fuel efficiency. This aligns with NASA’s goals for sustainable aviation, contributing to efforts to reduce carbon emissions and support greener, more efficient air travel.

These advancements highlight the critical role of supercomputing in driving NASA’s mission to push the boundaries of scientific discovery. From improving space mission safety to advancing environmental goals on Earth, the agency’s supercomputing capabilities are enabling more accurate predictions, better designs, and deeper insights. With these technological tools, NASA is positioning itself to address the complex challenges of the future, whether in space or here on our planet.