Chinese AI chipmakers are raising prices as a global shortage of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) puts additional pressure on AI hardware supply chains.
According to Reuters, Huawei has increased the indicated price of its advanced Ascend 950DT accelerator card to more than 250,000 yuan, representing a rise of around 20%β50% from quotations just two months earlier. Cambricon and other Chinese chipmakers have also raised prices for upcoming processors.
The pressure is being driven by limited access to HBM, a critical component that enables AI processors to handle large volumes of data at extremely high speeds. The advanced HBM market is dominated by SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics and Micron, while tighter U.S. export controls have made access to advanced memory more challenging for Chinese chipmakers.
The development highlights a growing challenge for Chinaβs ambition to build a self-reliant AI semiconductor ecosystem: having a domestic AI processor is not enough if critical memory and other components remain constrained.
