Huawei Tech Co. has left behind Apple Inc. in the market of smartphones. Next, it aims to overtake a few of America’s biggest tech giants in the semiconductor industry.
On Wednesday, China’s biggest telecom mobile and gear phone manufacturer revealed its newest Ascend Series AI chips; workhorses capable of performing machine-learning tasks, which it claims can vie with Nvidia’s and Qualcomm’s designs. It also announced new dedicated data centers and cloud computing services for self-directed vehicles that will be equipped with Ascend series chips, digging deeper into the areas established by Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and it’s Chinese competitor Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
The thrust into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud shows Huawei’s efforts of building a Chinese tech kingdom that can vie with top players across the globe – an attempt that has given rise to hackles in the U.S. Its extended aims come as Washington, seeking China’s speedy rise, wages war of rates against Huawei’s nearest financial competitors. Huawei’s overseas operation are also under pressure because of the growing fears related to security of its supposed and gear bonds with Beijing. In reply, the company claims that it is a private company really wanting to work with global partners.
At the Huawei Connect conference in Shanghai, Chairman Eric Xu said:
“Huawei’s AI strategy is built on top of continued investment in basic technologies and talent training.”
Huawei’s AI chips support that planned push and align with Beijing’s aim to develop a local semiconductor industry that progressively slows the need for semiconductor imports in China. In August, they launched their “Kirin” Huawei’s smart phones processors, capable of AI, which have already been shipped more than Apple phones. The Kirin products can also regulate computing resources depending upon their usage.
According to some calculations, it is already the biggest provider of networking devices for wireless carriers globally, outshining companies like Ericsson with increasing business in Europe. However, Huawei faces greater scrutiny, which is doesn’t help its overseas business that bring in almost 70% of its income. U.S, fearing security threats from its gear, continues to shut it out and established markets like Australia’s now bars out company’s telecom gears because of similar fears.
