[News] Huawei Reportedly Looks to Sell Ascend 910B in UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand

Huawei has reportedly approached potential buyers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand to sell its older-generation Ascend 910B processors, according to sources cited by Bloomberg. As the report notes, Huawei is said to be offering the 910B in quantities of a few thousand units, though the specific figures for each proposal remain uncertain.

Sources cited in the report also say the company is trying to attract customers by offering remote access to CloudMatrix 384—an AI system based in China and powered by the more advanced Ascend 910C chips. However, the report notes that Huawei isn’t ready to export those chips due to limited supply.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have recently secured agreements to purchase well over a million chips from NVIDIA and AMD, while Thailand’s AI initiatives also mainly rely on NVIDIA technology, as the report highlights.

The report, citing sources, indicates that Huawei’s outreach has yet to result in any finalized deals. In the UAE, parties such as the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence have reportedly shown little interest, while the status of discussions in Thailand remains uncertain. However, the report, citing sources, notes that Saudi Arabia appears more receptive to potential purchases, with interest possibly coming from the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA).

Saudi Arabia has maintained a long-standing partnership with Huawei on AI initiatives, but whether SDAIA will proceed with a deal for the Ascend 910B remains uncertain, the report says.

Previously, Malaysia had reportedly announced plans to develop its first sovereign, full-stack AI ecosystem using Huawei GPUs, according to The Edge Malaysia and Developing Telecoms. However, Bloomberg notes that the country has since backed away from the announcement, leaving the project’s future uncertain.

U.S. Export Policy and Huawei Chip Restrictions

In May, the U.S. initially warned that using Huawei’s Ascend chips could violate export controls, citing their reliance on American tools and processes. Washington later revised the statement, saying it was only alerting the industry to risks tied to Chinese advanced processors, according to Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg says that the U.S. is considering relaxing restrictions on NVIDIA AI chip exports to the United Arab Emirates. While no final decision has been made, discussions are reportedly gaining momentum within the Commerce Department and the White House, the report notes.

Read more

• [News] U.S. Reportedly to Greenlight Millions of NVIDIA’s Most Cutting-Edge AI Chips for UAE from 2025-27
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(Photo credit: Huawei)