Huawei commits $2.6b to smart driving tech

Huawei Technologies will invest 18 billion yuan, or about US$2.63 billion, in smart driving technology research worldwide.

This includes 10 billion yuan (US$1.46 billion) for computing power used to train its systems.

Huawei plans to spend 70 billion yuan (US$10.3 billion) to 80 billion yuan (US$11.7 billion) on computing power over the next five years, said senior vice president Jin Yuzhi.

The company launched its latest Qiankun ADS driver assistance system ahead of China’s biggest auto show on April 24.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Huawei plans more spending on computing power amid chip limits

Huawei plans to spend more on computing power as U.S. export controls limit Chinese firms’ access to top AI chips from Nvidia, a U.S. AI chip company 1.
Huawei announced the spending without tying it directly to export controls 1.
Huawei has also built Ascend AI chips in China. SMIC, China’s leading contract chipmaker, faces manufacturing limits at advanced nodes, including 7-nanometer capacity 2.
Ascend chips trail Nvidia’s leading products in several areas. One analysis estimates Chinese firms bought about 1 million Nvidia H20 chips in 2024, while Huawei shipped 450,000 Ascend 910B chips 3.
The Ascend 910B uses older High Bandwidth Memory 2E (HBM2E) and delivers about 40% of the bandwidth of Nvidia’s H20 3.

Huawei is widening Qiankun ADS ties in China’s auto market

More than 15 vehicle models on the market use Huawei’s Qiankun ADS, according to one report 4.
Audi will use Qiankun intelligent driving in China, said Jin Yuzhi, CEO of Huawei’s Intelligent Automotive Solutions business unit 5.
Huawei has also signed a safety pact with 11 carmakers. It says its partnership model gives automakers more control over their products 6 7.
Huawei is expanding its role as a technology supplier in China’s smart electric vehicle market 8.