Huawei launches its own computer-server CPU

Huawei Technologies released its first self-developed computer server CPU and servers adopting the chip, lessening its reliance on tech imports, Shanghai Daily learned today.

With the new CPU (central processing unit), Huawei has established an eco-system of self-developed chips covering smartphones, AI applications and servers, which helps lessen its reliance on tech imports.

Huawei, already the world’s No. 1 telecommunication gear vendor and the global No.2 smartphone vendor, kicked off its new TaiShan servers and Kunpeng 920 chip at its headquarters in Shenzhen today.

Kunpeng 920, a name that comes from a legendary Chinese animal, is an ARM-based server CPU with 7-nanometer industrial processing, representing the world’s top level. Independently designed by Huawei, it features enhanced performance, bandwidth, power efficiency and system architecture to suit data centers and cloud applications, Huawei said. 

“Currently, the diversity of applications and data is driving heterogeneous computing requirements,” said William Xu, chief strategy marketing officer of Huawei. 

Global data volume will jump 18 times by 2025 compared with last year, which creates “diversified” demands like data centers, plus cloud and wearable computing, Xu added.

By 2017, more than 120 billion ARM-based chips were sold globally, mainly in smartphones. There will be “another 100 billion” for new applications within several years, said Huawei.

Simply speaking, a computer server CPU, targeting enterprise clients and organizations, represents the highest technology development level of a tech company.

The CPU release represents Huawei joining the club of companies producing their own chips, like Intel, IBM and Qualcomm. 

Besides the new Kunpeng, Huawei has developed the Kirin processor for smartphones and the Ascend series for artificial intelligence computing since October. 

Huawei also launched a new computer server adopting the new CPU called TaiShan today, the name of a famous Chinese mountain.

Huawei sold more than 900,000 server computers with Intel chips in 2018, 12 times up from 2012. The new CPU and servers won’t influence long-term partnerships with Intel as they target diversified markets.

The company is "very confident” about sales of the new TaiShan servers in overseas markets, especially Europe and Asia, said Redfox Qiu, president of Intelligent Computing Business Department, which was newly established by Huawei.

Zhu Shenshen / SHINE