DeepSeek helps Huawei move away from Nvidia's software
The Chinese AI developer is making programming tools for Huawei's Ascend chips available as open source.
DeepSeek and Huawei are working together on software for Huawei's Ascend AI chips. DeepSeek says it will make infrastructure for computation and communication available as open source, a step intended to reduce dependence on Nvidia's software ecosystem.
DeepSeek announced the collaboration via its official WeChat account, Reuters reports. It does not involve a new chip, but software with which AI models can be programmed and run on Huawei hardware.
According to DeepSeek, the companies worked together on a so-called supernode solution with 128 Ascend 950 chips. Both computation and communication between the chips are optimised. The performance this setup achieves compared with Nvidia systems has not been disclosed.
One component of the software is TileLang, a higher-level programming language for AI chips. DeepSeek presents it as easier to programme than Nvidia's CUDA. That is a claim by DeepSeek; no independent comparison of performance and development time was found in the sources consulted.
Shortly beforehand, Huawei described the development of its Ascend ecosystem and the new capabilities of the Ascend 950 generation. The company is working on programming environments intended to help developers write software for different generations of its chips.
The collaboration fits into China's broader effort to build its own AI supply chain. US restrictions on access to advanced chips and technology have prompted Chinese companies to develop alternatives to Nvidia. That does not mean Huawei's hardware and software have already replaced Nvidia on a large scale.
Open source can lower the barrier for developers, because parts of the software become publicly available. Whether that leads to a fully fledged alternative to CUDA depends on documentation, stability, performance, hardware availability and the willingness of other companies to use the technology. That outcome is not yet certain.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- DeepSeek is opening software components for Huawei's Ascend platform.
- The software focuses on computation, communication and programming.
- The collaboration is intended to reduce dependence on Nvidia's ecosystem.
- There has not yet been an independent determination that Huawei has technically or commercially replaced Nvidia.
Left
Arguments A more independent AI infrastructure can limit the power of a handful of American technology companies. From this perspective, open source and access to alternative hardware can increase innovation outside the dominant market.
Values Technological plurality, open knowledge, digital sovereignty and the dispersal of market power.
Consequences More countries and companies can develop their own AI infrastructure, but cooperation between ecosystems may become more complicated.
Centre
Arguments Open standards and interoperability matter more than the question of which country becomes the winner. European and international users must be able to choose on the basis of performance, security, cost and reliable access.
Values Technological neutrality, market forces, interoperability and predictable rules.
Consequences Policy focuses on fair competition and diversification, without automatically favouring one national ecosystem.
Right
Arguments China must take responsibility for its own technological development, while Western countries are entitled to protect their security interests. Export restrictions are defensible if they limit military or strategic risks.
Values National security, property rights, geopolitical resilience and economic competition.
Consequences The global technology market may fragment further into regional ecosystems, with higher costs and less interoperability.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The factual announcement is strongly supported by Reuters and Huawei. Claims about an actual replacement of Nvidia are explicitly presented as uncertain or unproven.
- confirmed DeepSeek and Huawei are working together on programming tools for Huawei's Ascend chips. — Reported by Reuters. source
- confirmed DeepSeek is making infrastructure for computation and communication available as open source. — Reported by Reuters. source
- confirmed The joint solution is based on 128 Ascend 950 chips. — Reported by Reuters. source
- confirmed Huawei is working on programming capabilities for the Ascend 950 generation. — Described by Huawei. source
- confirmed TileLang is already a specialised programming environment for Huawei Ascend. — Described in the project's public repository. source
- uncertain The collaboration already makes Huawei a fully fledged replacement for Nvidia. — The sources consulted show software development, but no independent market or performance comparison. source
Editor's note
Reuters has described the collaboration, the open-source infrastructure and the 128-chip setup. The consequences for performance, market share and independence from Nvidia have not yet been established.Sources
- DeepSeek partners with Huawei to develop chip programming tools, reducing reliance on Nvidia — Reuters via MarketScreener
- Huawei advances agentic computing on multiple dimensions for SuperPoDs and SuperClusters — Huawei
- TileLang-Ascend — GitHub / tile-ai
More on this in Dutch media
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- RTL Nieuws — „deepseek huawei”