NVIDIA’s Chief Scientist Bill Dally Alerts That Former Chinese Engineers Are Joining Huawei, Indicating Increased Competition

Recent reports indicate that Huawei is allegedly attracting talent from NVIDIA in China, a development highlighted by NVIDIA’s Chief Scientist, Bill Dally. He has noted that a number of engineers previously employed by NVIDIA have transitioned to working for Huawei.

Strategic Talent Acquisition: Huawei’s Competitive Edge Against NVIDIA

NVIDIA’s foothold in China has become precarious amid ongoing US restrictions, prompting CEO Jensen Huang to voice opposition to the sanctions implemented during the Trump administration. In this context, competitors like Huawei are poised to accelerate their efforts in the artificial intelligence (AI) domain. The company is rapidly advancing its chip technology and software platforms, positioning itself as a formidable challenger to NVIDIA.

According to Dally, the US ban on the H20 AI accelerator has inadvertently fostered an environment where Chinese companies can expand their capabilities and attract top-tier AI talent—an alarming trend for NVIDIA. In a noteworthy shift, the representation of AI researchers from China has surged from less than one-third in 2019 to approximately 50% today.

NVIDIA's AI Chip Renting Services In China Are Much Cheaper Compared To The US, For As Little As $6/Hr 1

Huawei’s burgeoning team of AI specialists, primarily consisting of former NVIDIA engineers, is reportedly focused on enhancing the company’s software capabilities. NVIDIA’s ecosystem, specifically its CUDA platform, remains integral to numerous Chinese tech enterprises. However, Huawei provides its own alternative, the CANN platform, which presently does not match CUDA’s performance level.

While Dally asserts that Huawei’s hardware does not measure up to NVIDIA’s cutting-edge technology, the landscape shifts when evaluating availability and geopolitical factors. Huawei’s Ascend 910C and 910B chips are increasingly perceived as more viable options for local companies, largely because they offer a stable supply chain free from international political tensions. This scenario complicates NVIDIA’s position, as it must reassess its strategies in China, thereby granting Huawei an opportunity to capture additional market shares—a prospect that Jensen Huang finds disconcerting.

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