Huawei is working on forming a consortium of memory producers to develop high bandwidth memory (HBM) in order to bypass Western sanctions. HBM is crucial for AI and HPC processors because memory bandwidth often limits their performance, regardless of their computing power. Huawei is supporting the development of HBM2 memory at a China-based DRAM maker, with the consortium reportedly backed by the Chinese government and including several other Chinese semiconductor companies. This consortium is focusing on developing HBM2 memory and aims to start mass production by 2026.
In addition, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is also working on HBM technology, although the extent of their progress in this area is unclear. There are reports that XMC, another China-based semiconductor company, is also involved in an HBM project. HBM is currently sold by Micron, Samsung, and SK hynix, but its availability is limited due to the need for an export license from the U.S. government, which is often difficult to obtain. This limited availability poses a challenge for Huawei's AI processors.
Huawei's efforts, along with those of other HBM companies, face significant obstacles, particularly international regulations that restrict sales of advanced chipmaking equipment to China. Nevertheless, these initiatives can be seen as strategic moves by China to achieve self-sufficiency in key technologies for AI and supercomputing.
