Huawei has increased the price of its flagship Ascend 950DT AI accelerators by approximately 60% over the last three months. The cost per unit has reached ¥250 000, which is equivalent to $37 300. This pricing level is comparable to the cost of Nvidia's B200 server GPU.
The primary driver for the price hike and supply constraints is a shortage of high-bandwidth memory (HBM). This component is essential for AI systems, and the global deficit has persisted for about a year, affecting both AI hardware and the company's premium smartphones.
Despite production challenges, demand for domestic alternatives to Nvidia remains high. DeepSeek plans to utilize at least 160 000 Ascend 950DT units for a new AI cluster in Inner Mongolia. Huawei is currently prioritizing shipments to major market players and infrastructure developers.
Production volumes for the 950DT series are estimated at several hundred thousand units for the current year. Huawei supplies these accelerators in batches of at least eight units, with final pricing determined by order volume and the purchase of additional networking equipment.
