DeepSeek’s $2.56B Huawei Order: Why the AI Pioneer Is Pivoting Away From Nvidia
DeepSeek is reportedly ordering 160,000 Ascend 950DT AI chips from Huawei for a new data center in Inner Mongolia, with an estimated total value of $2.56 billion.
AsiaAI Publisher
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September 6, 2026 ·
2 min read · Source: 科技新報 TechNews · Issue #88
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This story ran in Issue #88, alongside three other stories.
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Per chip price (approx.)
DeepSeek is reportedly ordering 160,000 Ascend 950DT AI chips from Huawei for a new data center in Inner Mongolia, with an estimated total value of $2.56 billion. This move follows DeepSeek’s CEO earlier claims that NVIDIA is losing ground in China, signaling a strategic shift to reduce reliance on NVIDIA hardware.
This order highlights China’s ongoing efforts to build a domestic AI supply chain, particularly for high-end AI chips, amidst US export controls. It also points to Huawei’s Ascend series as the primary alternative to NVIDIA in the Chinese market, despite acknowledged performance gaps and production constraints.
