Alibaba to Order Huawei’s New 950PR AI Chip Ahead of 750,000 Unit Shipments
Customer testing of Huawei’s 950PR AI chip has gone smoothly and Alibaba has signaled plans to place orders alongside ByteDance. Huawei aims to ship 750,000 units this year, sending samples in January, commencing mass production next month and starting full deliveries in the second half.
1. Successful Testing and Orders
Customer testing of Huawei’s 950PR AI chip delivered strong performance benchmarks and Alibaba has confirmed plans to place orders alongside ByteDance, signaling broader industry support for the new processor.
2. Production and Shipment Plans
Huawei plans to ship approximately 750,000 950PR units this year, dispatched samples to customers in January, expects mass production to begin next month and will initiate full-scale deliveries in the second half.
3. Technical Compatibility and Pricing
The 950PR features enhanced CUDA software compatibility and faster response speeds; the DDR memory version is priced at about 50,000 yuan per card, while the higher-performance HBM model costs around 70,000 yuan.
4. Implications for Alibaba’s AI Strategy
Alibaba’s adoption of the 950PR chip reflects a move to diversify its AI infrastructure away from Western suppliers, potentially reducing costs and bolstering its use of domestic semiconductor technology.