Huawei will release the Ascend 960DT artificial intelligence semiconductor in the first quarter of 2027, followed by the 960PR model in the third quarter. The new chips, unveiled at the Huawei Connect 2026 conference in Shanghai, double overall performance and are part of a yearly iteration cycle including the Ascend 970 in 2028 and 980 in 2029. Rotating chairman Wang Tao stated that the 960DT launch is three quarters ahead of the original schedule.
The company's UnifiedBus architecture supports AI superclusters scaling to 1 million neural processing units, while its first mass-produced Hi-ONE optical interconnect delivers 7.2T transmission capacity per engine. Huawei has shipped more than 1,000 supernode systems to 370 customers to compete with Nvidia in China. The next-generation supernode reduces power draw by over 550 kW by replacing 48,000 optical modules with 5,500 proprietary optical engines.
Key sources
- SOURCE@reuters“launch two new artificial-intelligence semiconductors in 2027, rotating chairman David Wang said, as the Chinese tech giant builds up its AI computing business and seeks to challenge US chipmaker Nvidia”x.com
- SUPPORT@maxforai“昇腾 960 芯片已经提前就绪，整体性能将实现翻番”x.com
- SUPPORT@wallstengine“shipped 1,000+ supernode systems to 370+ customers and says its supercluster architecture can scale to 1 million NPUs”x.com
- SOURCE@sino_market“Hi-ONE, built on its proprietary technologies with a balanced optics/mechanics/electronics/magnetics/thermal design, delivers 7.2T transmission capacity per engine”x.com
- SUPPORT@poezhao0605“5,500 Hi-ONE engines replace 48,000 800G optical modules”x.com
- SUPPORT@mark_k“UnifiedBus, an architecture designed to connect up to ONE MILLION processors into a single AI supercluster”x.com
- SUPPORT@business“advancing its ambition to replace Nvidia in China and compete on the global stage”x.com
- SUPPORT@techmeme“Ascend 960DT AI chip in Q1 2027 and the 960PR in Q3 2027”x.com