DeepSeek and Huawei team up to cut Chinese AI reliance on Nvidia chips
DeepSeek has adapted its TileLang optimization tools for Huawei's Ascend AI platform and released them as open-source, aiming to lower the software barrier for Chinese firms switching from Nvidia hardware.
Hangzhou-based DeepSeek has redeveloped its TileLang performance-optimization tools for Huawei's Ascend AI chips and opened the code to the public. By addressing the software ecosystem that has long given Nvidia a competitive edge, the partnership seeks to make it cheaper for Chinese AI companies to move to domestically produced hardware. US export-control measures have constrained but not stopped Nvidia chip sales in China, prompting firms such as Alibaba Group and ByteDance to explore alternatives.
Huawei admits it struggles to meet the surging AI demand and points to a supply shortfall as the next bottleneck. Executives Liang Wenfeng and Eric Xu have highlighted domestic chip adoption as a strategic priority, with Huawei targeting training-chip deliveries by the fourth quarter. The alliance underscores China's intensified push for AI self-sufficiency amid ongoing trade tensions.
Why it matters
It signals China's push to replace US-controlled AI hardware with home-grown software, reshaping the global AI chip landscape.
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