Huawei founder downplays strength of own chips

In an interview with the state-run "Volkszeitung" newspaper, Ren said that individual chips from Huawei were "still a generation" behind those from the US.

The United States would exaggerate the strength of the group. "There are many companies in China that develop chips, and many do it very well - Huawei is one of them," Ren said.

Huawei has been a major target of US sanctions in the past and has therefore started to focus more on developing its own chips. US chip manufacturer Nvidia recently warned that the American restrictions on deliveries to China had made Huawei a serious rival. Huawei can also gain market share because companies there only have limited access to advanced AI chips from Nvidia due to US bans.

Bundling chips compensates for weaknesses

The interview with the Huawei founder was published while negotiations between the US and China are underway in London. Both delegations have been discussing the dismantling of trade barriers there since Monday.

China's export controls on rare earths are a concern for the USA and other countries. Washington wants to achieve a relaxation. In return, the USA could reduce its trade restrictions in areas such as computer chips and aircraft components, where China is dependent on foreign technology.

According to Ren, Huawei is trying to compensate for technical backlogs through so-called clustering: Several chips are interconnected in order to bundle computing power. In this way, the weaknesses of individual chips can be compensated for.