China Launches First AI Chip Security List, Names Huawei and Alibaba, Excludes 'China's Nvidia'

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China has introduced its first “secure and reliable” certification list for domestic artificial intelligence training and inference chips. Nine chips from seven manufacturers, including Huawei Technologies and Alibaba Group, have been granted this initial certification, though several prominent companies such as Cambricon Technologies—often referred to as China’s Nvidia—and Kunlunxin Technology were not included.

The certification was awarded to Huawei’s HiSilicon units, the Ascend 310 and Ascend 910, as well as Alibaba’s T-Head Semiconductor’s Zhenwu M530 and Zhenwu M890. These chips received Level I safety and reliability accreditation from the China Information Technology Security Evaluation Center and the National Secrecy Science and Technology Evaluation Center on May 26.

Additional chips recognized in the list comprise the Biren 166 by Biren Technology, Hygon Information Technology’s DCU-3G, Iluvatar Corex Semiconductor’s KCC-V100X, Metax Integrated Circuits’ MXC600, and Moore Threads Technology’s PH100.

Notably, several key players, including Cambricon—regarded as China’s leading AI processor and GPU developer—along with Enflame Technology and Kunlunxin, a division of Baidu, were not part of this certification.

The validity of this certification extends for three years from the issuance date, according to the agencies overseeing national information security and secrecy assessments.

This certification acts as a gateway for domestically produced information technology products to access and operate within critical sectors. Traditionally overseen by the China IT Security Evaluation Center, the certification program has covered products like computers, servers, operating systems, and databases, and it is now being expanded to include AI chips.

China’s AI chip market has experienced rapid growth in recent years, mainly driven by replacement demand in response to U.S. export restrictions on high-performance chips. Morgan Stanley projects that China’s AI chip industry will expand at a compound annual growth rate of over 23% from 2024 to 2030, reaching $67 billion and increasing domestic self-sufficiency to 76%.