On September 30, 2026, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek announced a partnership with Huawei Technologies to open-source programming tools, including the TileLang language, for Huawei's Ascend 950 chips. This collaboration aims to build an independent software ecosystem to challenge Nvidia's CUDA platform. The move highlights a broader shift by Chinese tech firms toward domestic hardware alternatives amid tightening US export controls.
DeepSeek releases software for Huawei chips
- ▪DeepSeek announced on September 30, 2026, that it partnered with Huawei Technologies to develop and open-source programming tools for Huawei's Ascend AI chips.
- ▪Huawei provided full support in developing the programming infrastructure and advanced a "supernode" program with DeepSeek based on 128 Ascend 950 chips.
- ▪DeepSeek released six software modules tailored for Huawei's Ascend AI chips that mirror DeepSeek's prior open-source tools designed for Nvidia's AI chips
- ▪DeepSeek is bringing more of its AI model development software to Huawei's Ascend 950 processors to deepen cooperation and reduce reliance on Nvidia's hardware and CUDA ecosystem.
TileLang compatibility with Ascend processors
- ▪TileLang, which lists Nvidia as its primary back end, officially supports Huawei's Ascend 950 accelerators with native code generation, automatic scheduling, and synchronization.
- ▪DeepSeek released an Ascend-compatible version of TileLang, a custom programming language designed to streamline high-performance kernel development on GPUs and CPUs.
Chinese firms shift to domestic hardware
- ▪The push by Chinese firms such as DeepSeek and Huawei to build an independent software ecosystem for graphics processing units comes amid US export curbs that largely blocked domestic sales of Nvidia chips in China
- ▪DeepSeek, which initially relied heavily on Nvidia's H800 hardware, shifted increasingly toward domestic alternatives in 2026, optimizing its V4-Flash AI model for Huawei chips.
- ▪Chinese technology firms are increasingly seeking domestic alternatives to Nvidia hardware and software, with Beijing implementing economic and regulatory measures to support home-grown AI chips.
Huawei's corporate developments
- ▪Huawei recently announced a new line of Ascend AI chips for computing superclusters and data centers, expecting its AI chips to be widely used for model training by 2027.
- ▪David Wang, the deputy chairman and rotating chairman of Huawei, delivered a keynote address at the HUAWEI CONNECT 2026 conference.
Debatable claims
- ▪Huawei's Ascend ecosystem can successfully replace Nvidia's AI platform in China
- ▪US export curbs on AI chips have accelerated China's technological self-reliance
- ▪Open-sourcing software tools is the most effective way to challenge proprietary AI ecosystems
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