Latest news with #LiamMo
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Synopsys restarts some China services, sales of core tools still blocked
By Liam Mo and Brenda Goh BEIJING: Synopsys has resumed offering some services in China , relaxing a suspension it implemented earlier this month to comply with new U.S. export curbs, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. As tensions flared between the world's two largest economies last month, Washington ordered a broad range of companies to stop shipping goods to China. The decision led Synopsys, a California-based provider of semiconductor design software, to halt sales and services in China and shut down access to its SolvNet customer support site. Synopsys resumed some services last week, however, including sales of non-core hardware and intellectual property that allow it to serve some existing clients, said the source, who declined to be named as they were not permitted to speak to the media. Synopsys did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. SolvNet has also reopened with restrictions, including limits on access to some Electronic Design Automation software-related documents, the source added. But sales of essential EDA tools remain suspended, meaning that Synopsys will still be unable to attract new customers as its intellectual property and hardware cannot be put to use, the source said. The IP consists of code the company sells to users for chip design , while the hardware systems such as HAPS and ZeBu are part of Synopsys' hardware-assisted verification product portfolio, primarily used for verification of acceleration processes. EDA software is used to compile IP and other designs onto hardware. Synopsys, along with Cadence and Siemens EDA, dominates the EDA software chipmakers can use to design semiconductors for everything from smartphones to computers and cars. The three companies control more than 70% of China's EDA market, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported in April. Long-term restrictions on Chinese chip design companies' access to the tools would deal a significant blow to the industry in China. Synopsys suspended its annual and quarterly forecasts after the U.S. implemented the restrictions, as they cast uncertainty over its ability to sell chip design software in China.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Synopsys restarts some China services, sales of core tools still blocked, source says
By Liam Mo and Brenda Goh BEIJING (Reuters) -Synopsys has resumed offering some services in China, relaxing a suspension it implemented earlier this month to comply with new U.S. export curbs, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. As tensions flared between the world's two largest economies last month, Washington ordered a broad range of companies to stop shipping goods to China. The decision led Synopsys, a California-based provider of semiconductor design software, to halt sales and services in China and shut down access to its SolvNet customer support site. Synopsys resumed some services last week, however, including sales of non-core hardware and intellectual property that allow it to serve some existing clients, said the source, who declined to be named as they were not permitted to speak to the media. Synopsys did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. SolvNet has also reopened with restrictions, including limits on access to some Electronic Design Automation software-related documents, the source added. But sales of essential EDA tools remain suspended, meaning that Synopsys will still be unable to attract new customers as its intellectual property and hardware cannot be put to use, the source said. The IP consists of code the company sells to users for chip design, while the hardware systems such as HAPS and ZeBu are part of Synopsys' hardware-assisted verification product portfolio, primarily used for verification of acceleration processes. EDA software is used to compile IP and other designs onto hardware. Synopsys, along with Cadence and Siemens EDA, dominates the EDA software chipmakers can use to design semiconductors for everything from smartphones to computers and cars. The three companies control more than 70% of China's EDA market, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported in April. Long-term restrictions on Chinese chip design companies' access to the tools would deal a significant blow to the industry in China. Synopsys suspended its annual and quarterly forecasts after the U.S. implemented the restrictions, as they cast uncertainty over its ability to sell chip design software in China.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Nvidia to launch cheaper Blackwell AI chip for China after US export curbs, sources say
By Liam Mo and Fanny Potkin BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -Nvidia will launch a new artificial intelligence chipset for China at a significantly lower price than its recently restricted H20 model and plans to start mass production as early as June, sources familiar with the matter said. The GPU or graphics processing unit will be part of Nvidia's latest generation Blackwell-architecture AI processors and is expected to be priced between $6,500 and $8,000, well below the $10,000-$12,000 the H20 sold for, according to two of the sources. The lower price reflects its weaker specifications and simpler manufacturing requirements. It will be based on Nvidia's RTX Pro 6000D, a server-class graphics processor and will use conventional GDDR7 memory instead of more advanced high bandwidth memory, the two sources said. They added it would not use Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's advanced Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology. The new chip's price, specifications and production timing have not previously been reported. The three sources Reuters spoke to for this article declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to media. An Nvidia spokesperson said the company was still evaluating its "limited" options. "Until we settle on a new product design and receive approval from the U.S. government, we are effectively foreclosed from China's $50 billion data center market." TSMC declined to comment. MARKET SHARE PLUNGE China remains a huge market for Nvidia, accounting for 13% of its sales in the past financial year. It's the third time that Nvidia has had to tailor a GPU for the world's second-largest economy after restrictions from U.S. authorities who are keen to stymie Chinese technological development. After the U.S. effectively banned the H20 in April, Nvidia initially considered developing a downgraded version of the H20 for China, sources have said, but that plan didn't work out. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said last week the company's older Hopper architecture - which the H20 uses - can no longer accommodate further modifications under current U.S. export restrictions. Reuters was unable to determine the product's final name. Chinese brokerage GF Securities said in a note published on Tuesday that the new GPU would likely be called the 6000D or the B40, though it did not disclose pricing or cite sources for the information. According to two of the sources, Nvidia is also developing another Blackwell-architecture chip for China that is set to begin production as early as September. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm specifications of that variant. Nvidia's market share in China has plummeted from 95% before 2022, when U.S. export curbs that impacted its products began, to 50% currently, Huang told reporters in Taipei this week. Its main competitor is Huawei which produces the Ascend 910B chip. Huang also warned that if U.S. export curbs continue, more Chinese customers will buy Huawei's chips. The H20 ban forced Nvidia to write off $5.5 billion in inventory and Huang told the Stratechery podcast on Monday that the company also had to walk away from $15 billion in sales. The latest export restrictions introduced new limits on GPU memory bandwidth - a crucial metric measuring data transmission speeds between the main processor and memory chips. This capability is particularly important for AI workloads that require extensive data processing. Investment bank Jefferies estimates that the new regulations cap memory bandwidth at 1.7-1.8 terabytes per second. That compares with the 4 terabytes per second that the H20 is capable of. GF Securities forecast the new GPU will achieve approximately 1.7 terabytes per second using GDDR7 memory technology, just within the export control limits. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nvidia to launch cheaper Blackwell AI chip for China after US export curbs, sources say
By Liam Mo and Fanny Potkin BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -Nvidia will launch a new artificial intelligence chipset for China at a significantly lower price than its recently restricted H20 model and plans to start mass production as early as June, sources familiar with the matter said. The GPU or graphics processing unit will be part of Nvidia's latest generation Blackwell-architecture AI processors and is expected to be priced between $6,500 and $8,000, well below the $10,000-$12,000 the H20 sold for, according to two of the sources. The lower price reflects its weaker specifications and simpler manufacturing requirements. It will be based on Nvidia's RTX Pro 6000D, a server-class graphics processor and will use conventional GDDR7 memory instead of more advanced high bandwidth memory, the two sources said. They added it would not use Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's advanced Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology. The new chip's price, specifications and production timing have not previously been reported. The three sources Reuters spoke to for this article declined to be identified as they were not authorized to speak to media. An Nvidia spokesperson said the company was still evaluating its "limited" options. "Until we settle on a new product design and receive approval from the U.S. government, we are effectively foreclosed from China's $50 billion data center market." TSMC declined to comment. China remains a huge market for Nvidia, accounting for 13% of its sales in the past financial year. It's the third time that Nvidia has had to tailor a GPU for the world's second-largest economy after restrictions from U.S. authorities who are keen to stymie Chinese technological development. After the U.S. effectively banned the H20 in April, Nvidia initially considered developing a downgraded version of the H20 for China, sources have said, but that plan didn't work out. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said last week the company's older Hopper architecture - which the H20 uses - can no longer accommodate further modifications under current U.S. export restrictions. Reuters was unable to determine the product's final name. Chinese brokerage GF Securities said in a note published on Tuesday that the new GPU would likely be called the 6000D or the B40, though it did not disclose pricing or cite sources for the information. According to two of the sources, Nvidia is also developing another Blackwell-architecture chip for China that is set to begin production as early as September. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm specifications of that variant. Nvidia's market share in China has plummeted from 95% before 2022, when U.S. export curbs that impacted its products began, to 50% currently, Huang told reporters in Taipei this week. Its main competitor is Huawei which produces the Ascend 910B chip. Huang also warned that if U.S. export curbs continue, more Chinese customers will buy Huawei's chips. The H20 ban forced Nvidia to write off $5.5 billion in inventory and Huang told the Stratechery podcast on Monday that the company also had to walk away from $15 billion in sales. The latest export restrictions introduced new limits on GPU memory bandwidth - a crucial metric measuring data transmission speeds between the main processor and memory chips. This capability is particularly important for AI workloads that require extensive data processing. Investment bank Jefferies estimates that the new regulations cap memory bandwidth at 1.7-1.8 terabytes per second. That compares with the 4 terabytes per second that the H20 is capable of. GF Securities forecast the new GPU will achieve approximately 1.7 terabytes per second using GDDR7 memory technology, just within the export control limits.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Nvidia modifies H20 chip for China to overcome US export controls
By Liam Mo and Brenda Goh BEIJING: Nvidia plans to release a downgraded version of its H20 artificial intelligence chip for China in the next two months, following U.S. export restrictions on the original model, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The U.S. chipmaker has notified major Chinese customers, including leading cloud computing providers, that it aims to release the modified H20 chip in July, two of the sources said. The downgraded H20 represents Nvidia's latest attempt to maintain its presence in one of its most crucial markets in the face of Washington's expanding efforts to restrict China's access to advanced semiconductor technology. The H20, which had been Nvidia's most powerful AI chip cleared for Chinese sales, was effectively blocked from the market after U.S. officials informed the company last month that the product would require an export license. Nvidia has formulated new technical thresholds, which will guide the development of the modified chip designs. These specifications will result in significant downgrades from the original H20, including substantially reduced memory capacity, one of the sources said. Another of the sources said downstream customers could potentially modify the module configuration to adjust the chip's performance levels. Nvidia declined to comment. The U.S. Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China accounted for $17 billion in revenue, or 13% of Nvidia's total sales, in the fiscal year ended January 26. Highlighting the country's strategic importance, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Beijing last month, just days after U.S. officials announced the new export license requirements for the H20 chip. During meetings with Chinese officials, Huang emphasised China's significance as a key market for the company. The U.S. has restricted exports of Nvidia's most sophisticated chips to China since 2022, citing concerns about their potential military applications. The H20 was introduced after Washington tightened export controls in October 2023. Chinese technology giants including Tencent , Alibaba and ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, stepped up H20 chip orders amid growing demand for cost-effective AI models from companies such as startup DeepSeek, Reuters reported early this year. Nvidia had accumulated $18 billion worth of H20 orders since January, according to a Reuters report last month.
