Huawei is stepping into the ring with a GPU that’s set to revolutionize the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to reports, this new hardware is as powerful as Nvidia’s A100, the GPU that powers GPT-4 and other language models.
According to Tom’s Hardware, the existence of this new Huawei GPU was unveiled at the Yabuli China Entrepreneurs Forum 2023. Liu Qingfeng, the founder of AI company iFlytek, confirmed that Huawei’s new GPU is on par with Nvidia’s A100. The GPU is expected to train one of iFlytek’s upcoming models. “Huawei’s GPU capability is now the same as Nvidia’s A100,” Qingfeng declared.
This development is important for Huawei’s CEO, Ren Zhengfei, and signifies a major leap for China in the AI sector. While China has been excelling in AI algorithms, computational power has been a bottleneck. This new GPU could be the solution to that problem.
A few months ago, the U.S. restricted the export of AI chips to China. This move forced Huawei to explore alternatives, including setting up a clandestine network of chip factories. The new GPU is a direct result of these restrictions and Huawei’s need to innovate.
iFlytek is also working on a language model that will compete with GPT-4. This model will utilize Huawei’s new GPU and is expected to be compared with ChatGPT in October. Other Chinese companies like Alibaba and Baidu have also entered the AI chatbot game, further intensifying the competition.
Huawei isn’t new to the AI game. Through its Ascend brand, it offers products like the Atlas 900, a training cluster with thousands of Ascend 910 processors that rivals the power of 500,000 computers. If Qingfeng’s statements hold true, Huawei could be a key player in challenging OpenAI’s dominance.
