At the Connect 2026 conference, Huawei unveiled the Ascend 960 SuperPoD, a massive computing cluster designed for artificial intelligence tasks. The system integrates 15 488 proprietary Ascend AI chips, doubling the capacity of the previous Atlas 950 SuperPoD model, which utilizes 8192 chips.
The new cluster occupies 220 racks and covers a total area of approximately 2200 square meters. Huawei positions the SuperPoD as a unified computing machine rather than a collection of individual servers, with plans to scale the AI infrastructure to a system comprising 256 000 nodes.
To support high-speed data exchange, the company introduced the UnifiedBus 2.0 technology and the Hi-ONE optical interconnect system. These solutions enable the integration of up to 4000 processors within a single SuperPoD unit.
Additionally, Huawei showcased the Near-Packaged Optics (NPO) architecture, which places optical components directly next to computing chips. This design aims to enhance connection speeds and reduce power consumption. The company intends to launch mass production of NPO with an integrated light source.
