Huawei founder admits chips still trail US by ‘one generation'
BEIJING, June 10 — Chinese tech giant Huawei's chips still 'lag behind the United States by one generation', state media quoted its founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei as saying in a rare interview on Tuesday.
Washington last month unveiled fresh guidelines warning firms that using Chinese-made high-tech AI semiconductors, specifically Huawei's Ascend chips, would put them at risk of violating US export controls.
The Shenzhen-based company has been at the centre of an intense standoff between the economic supergiants after Washington warned its equipment could be used for espionage by Beijing, an allegation Huawei denies.
Speaking to the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, 80-year-old Ren insisted the United States had 'exaggerated' Huawei's achievements.
Tougher controls in recent years have prevented US chip giant Nvidia, one of Huawei's rivals, from selling certain AI semiconductors — widely regarded as the most advanced in the world — to Chinese firms.
As a result, it is now facing tougher competition from local players in the crucial market, including Huawei.
Nvidia's chief executive Jensen Huang told reporters last month that Chinese companies 'are very, very talented and very determined, and the export control gave them the spirit, the energy and the government support to accelerate their development'.
But Ren said Huawei was 'not that great yet', according to the article published on the newspaper's front page Tuesday.
'Many companies in China are making chips, and quite a few are doing well — Huawei is just one of them,' he added.
When asked about 'external blockades and suppression' — a veiled reference to US export restrictions on Beijing — Ren said he had 'never thought about it'.
'Don't dwell on the difficulties, just get the job done and move forward step by step,' he added.
Sanctions since 2019 have curtailed the firm's access to US-made components and technologies, forcing it to diversify its growth strategy.
China has accused the United States of 'bullying' and 'abusing export controls to suppress and contain' the country's firms. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
16 minutes ago
- The Star
'Applied AI' set to dominate France's Vivatech trade fair
Nvidia's Huang – likely sporting his trademark leather jacket – has top billing with an opening presentation slated to last more than an hour. — Bloomberg PARIS: Drawing high-powered tech CEOs and a presidential visit, Paris's Vivatech trade fair opening on June 11 will spotlight hoped-for economic benefits from AI. The top attraction on the opening day of this year's four-day show will be Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, looking to make a mark in Europe for the company that builds the most computing hardware for artificial intelligence. President Emmanuel Macron, a regular at Vivatech, will also attend the event at the southern Paris convention centre, the Elysee Palace said, with a walking tour and chats with "French Tech" startups on the agenda. Tech watchers expect more products than ever embedding AI into everyday life to be shown off in the exhibition halls. "What's changed from previous years is that we've moved from AI as science fiction to applied AI," Vivatech managing director Francois Bitouzet told AFP. He trailed around 30 sectors with concrete AI-powered products on show, from luxury to insurance, health, energy, cars, logistics and more. Around 14,000 startups and more than 3,000 investors are expected to travel to Paris from around the world, while organisers forecast total visitor numbers to at least equal last year's 165,000 people. Nvidia headlining Nvidia's Huang – likely sporting his trademark leather jacket – has top billing with an opening presentation slated to last more than an hour. Bitouzet said it was a "source of pride" to bring aboard semiconductor heavyweight Nvidia, whose high-powered GPUs (graphics processing units) are widely used to power the latest generative AI models. "It proves that the European market in general and the French market in particular are attractive and that today (Nvidia) has ambitions for this market," the Vivatech boss added. EY's European tech, media and telecoms chief Cedric Foray predicted that "there will definitely be announcements targeted at Europe" from Nvidia. The US firm has seen export restrictions slapped on its top-performing chips by both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations, with US politicians leery of ceding their country's lead in generative AI. Huang has warned that China is nevertheless making swift strides to catch up. There was little sign of impact from export restrictions on Nvidia's chip sales in its May earnings release. But the company has warned the braking effect may be larger in the current quarter. Tech sovereignty US politics preoccupies many European tech leaders and policymakers too. Concerns range from Trump's mercurial tariff policy to the continent's ability to stand on its own without US giants – and the massive gap in funding for AI development between the two sides of the Atlantic. "Sovereignty, which wasn't as important in the conversation just a year or two years ago, has become an absolutely strategic priority," Bitouzet said. Macron is expected to again emphasise "European technological sovereignty", the Elysee said. Such remarks from the president would build on his hyping of French and European openness to AI at a Paris global summit in February. Top French firms at Vivatech – where around half the exhibitors are local companies – will include Mistral AI, a French competitor to much-bigger OpenAI. Mistral's founder Arthur Mensch is set to discuss AI with Macron and Huang at a roundtable at the end of the first day of the event. – AFP
Malay Mail
16 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Selangor aims to future-proof students with digital skills, says MB
SUBANG, June 11 — Selangor is keen to future-proof its next generation by equipping students with essential digital skills needed to keep pace with rapid global development, said Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari. Applauding the commencement of Advancing Future Skills for All (FS4A) Selangor Scale-Up today, he said it aligns with the aspirations laid out in Rancangan Struktur Negeri Selangor 2035, particularly Teras 1 on strengthening economic growth through digital transformation, and Teras 3 involving inclusive and equitable access to quality education. 'This scale-up initiative in Selangor, generously supported by Google and implemented by ARUS Academy in collaboration with the Education Ministry, Unicef, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), and CelcomDigi, is not just timely, it is strategic. 'This programme is a brilliant example of what a public-private partnership can achieve. We have Google and CelcomDigi, deeply committed to our communities and ensuring every Malaysian child gets vital digital skills,' he said in his opening speech during the launch of FS4A - Selangor Scale Up here today. Amirudin also said the programme is also expected to complement state government initiative involving Artificial Intelilligence (AI) Trailblazers. 'We believe that this is an effort that will lead to our ability to enter the AI realm boldly, not just as users or consumers but as part of the creators of the future,' he said. Meanwhile, CelcomDigi, in a statement, noted that the programme, funded by Google, is tailored to address real needs on the ground, beginning with schools in the education districts of Gombak, Petaling Utama, Petaling Perdana, and Klang, with a three-phase rollout from June to September this year. According to the statement, selected teachers of Computer Science and Design and Technology subjects as well as District Education Officers will be upskilled and trained to co-lead digital workshops for fellow teachers in their districts aimed to create a multiplier effect across schools, especially in underserved and near low-cost housing areas. It also stated that in Phase one, 48 teachers will undergo a one-day intensive session to become Master Trainers within their districts. 'These Master Trainers, with the support of the District Education Officers will then colead Phase 2 by conducting hands-on digital skills workshops in 10 schools each in their respective districts, reaching over 120 teachers and students across 40 schools from July-August. 'In Phase three, these trained teachers will implement FS4A training materials in the classrooms, resulting in over 13,000 students across 88 schools being digitally equipped. Participating schools will receive grants to run school-based digital learning projects tailored to their students,' according to the statement. — Bernama
The Star
28 minutes ago
- The Star
FBM KLCI rises at midday on U.S.-China trade optimism
KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI ended the morning session higher, tracking regional gains on signs of progress in U.S.-China trade talks, although upside momentum remained capped amid investor caution. The benchmark index rose 7.36 points, or 0.49%, to 1,524.31, down from its intra-morning high of 1,530.85. Gainers thumped losers at 459 to 364 while 474 counters were unchanged. Turnover stood at almost two billion securities valued at RM1.16bil. Investor sentiment is expected to stay cautious, according to TA Securities, as markets await Wednesday's US CPI data for insights into how President Donald Trump's tariff policies may be driving inflation. 'Immediate index support remains at 1,490, while stronger supports can be found at 1,465 and 1,444. 'Immediate resistance is maintained at 1,564 with the next upside hurdles seen at the recent high of 1,586, followed by 1,610 ahead,' TA said. Meanwhile, Hong Leong Investment Bank Research expects the FBM KLCI to trade sideways with a slight upside, supported by US-China trade hopes. However, foreign outflows, US-Malaysia tariff uncertainty, and June's poor historical returns may cap gains. 'Market concerns are further exacerbated by a fragile global trade environment, ongoing macroeconomic headwinds, and the looming risk of domestic subsidy rationalisation in 2H25, as well as the potential repercussions of expanded SST (effect 1 July) - all of which could weigh on Malaysia's growth and corporate earnings visibility,' it added. Among the gainers on Bursa Malaysia, Allianz rose 30 sen to RM19.42, Sunway Construction added 26 sen to RM6.23, Batu Kawan gained 18 sen to RM19.18 and F&N climbed 18 sen to RM27.98. Decliners included Kuala Lumpur Kepong, which fell 32 sen to RM19.64, Country View, down 29 sen to RM2.07, PETRONAS Gas, which lost 26 sen to RM17.68, and Genting Malaysia, which eased 13 sen to RM1.90. Reuters reported China's blue-chip CSI300 Index rose as much as 1.2%, hitting its highest level since May 23. The Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng index climbed up to 1%, reaching its strongest level since March 20. The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.5% as of the midday break, set for its longest winning streak in about a month.
