Huawei on Thursday unveiled new chip technologies at its annual key conference in Shanghai, introducing the Atlas 960 SuperPoD computing cluster and announcing plans to launch the Ascend 970 and 980 chip series in 2028 and 2029 with expectations of significant improvements in computing power. The announcement came just days before an expected meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington on Sept. 24.
Huawei’s hardware roadmap and AI claims
Huawei described the Atlas 960 SuperPoD as a faster successor to a model it introduced only months ago, with improvements aimed at AI training and “inference” (the process when a trained AI makes predictions or decisions). The new cluster surprised some technology analysts because it arrived soon after the company rolled out the Atlas 950 SuperPod late last year.
The company said the Ascend 970 and 980 series are expected in 2028 and 2029 and will deliver marked gains in computing power, without providing further technical details in the announcement.
The rollout underscores a broader push in China toward technological self-reliance after U.S.-led restrictions barred access to some of the world’s most advanced AI chips and cutting-edge chipmaking machines. Analysts say advanced tasks in China, such as training AI models, still often rely on U.S. chips, including those from Nvidia, even as AI companies in China increasingly embrace domestic chips. Huawei has produced its own advanced chips and is seen as maintaining a lead over other Chinese chip developers.
George Chen, partner and chair of digital practice at The Asia Group consultancy, said of the timing: “The timing — less than two weeks before President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington — underscores Beijing’s confidence and ambition in technology and innovation.” The announcement also came as Trump downplayed AI leaders’ calls to slow the development of the technology for safety purposes and insisted the U.S. must maintain its lead over China, saying “whoever wins in AI, wins.” Chen added, “AI developments move so quickly that no one can be certain of holding the lead forever,” and observed that “The fact that Huawei achieved this upgrade in just a year, far quicker than before, will only heighten U.S. anxiety about the accelerating AI competition.”
