Despite U.S. warnings, Malaysia considers using Huawei's 910C to build sovereign AI

动察 Beating AI Flash: Malaysia is seriously considering using Huawei's Ascend 910C to build sovereign AI infrastructure valued at 2 billion ringgit (approximately $494 million). The project aims to keep sensitive data, including government, military, and intelligence information, within the country. State-backed Telekom Malaysia has been selected as the primary operator, but the final chip solution has yet to be determined.

The consideration is for the 910C, not the newer Ascend 950, which still has limited production capacity. The U.S. warned last year that using certain Huawei Ascend chips, including the 910C, could violate U.S. export controls. The Malaysian government is also considering re-tendering the project to allow direct competition from American firms such as Nvidia.

This marks Malaysia's second encounter with Huawei AI chips. In May last year, the Deputy Minister of Communications announced plans to deploy 3,000 Ascend chips, but retracted the statement just a day later, with the government subsequently clarifying that the project was a private initiative unrelated to national plans. Now, Huawei is re-entering the picture through a sovereign AI project formally backed by 2 billion ringgit in government funding.

If Huawei is ultimately selected, this would be the first known case of a foreign government formally choosing Chinese AI accelerators. Huawei is also vying for an AI data center project with the Egyptian government, signaling that Chinese AI chips are beginning to genuinely compete in overseas national-level infrastructure projects.