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Gavekal Technologies: Briefing
Huawei Faces Credibility Scandal
Laila Khawaja
18 Jul 2025
Huawei faces viral plagiarism allegations over AI model. Beijing takes measures to curb rare earth brain drain. And DeepSeek R2 delay is not due to US chip ban.
Gavekal Technologies: Chips
Huawei’s DeepSeek Moment In AI test
Laila Khawaja
29 Apr 2025
Huawei beats Nvidia in AI. Huawei’s latest AI cluster overcame chip-level constraints with system-level innovations. Nvidia risks more chip bans. Nvidia has suspended more chip sales to China, though grey-market channels remain active. Xiaomi faces heightened sanction risk. Xiaomi’s tech progress in mobile SoC using TSMC’s advanced tech could make it a US sanction target.
More research
Huawei’s DeepSeek Moment In AI
Huawei’s latest AI cluster overcame chip-level constraints with system-level innovations. Nvidia has suspended more chip sales to China, though grey-market channels remain active. And Xiaomi’s tech progress in mobile SoC using TSMC’s advanced tech could make it a US sanction target.
Nvidia’s DeepSeek Dilemma
Early coverage of DeepSeek’s cost-efficient open-source large language models highlighted the risk to Nvidia that algorithmic and architectural innovations could reduce demand for its chips. The reality is otherwise: Chinese companies are ramping up orders for Nvidia’s sanction-compliant H20 chips to support the surging demand for inference—the process of running trained AI models in real-world applications.
Intel’s Rival, Huawei’s Challenges, Oppo’s Chip
Intel’s challenger unveils next-generation chips. China’s main challenger to Intel has developed a new second generation of chips, and says it has the technology it needs for a third generation.
Tsinghua Unigroup’s Chairman Accuses Government Of “Plunder”
In an astonishing series of public statements, China’s most prominent semiconductor executive is accusing the government of plundering the state-run company where he serves as chairman. Zhao Weiguo says officials are undervaluing Tsinghua Unigroup, and have threatened him with prison if he resists a forced restructuring.
China’s Dual Strategy For Semiconductors
While the political urgency of China’s drive for greater self-reliance in semiconductors has ramped up this year, the technological gap between China’s domestic industry and the global leaders remains as wide as ever.There is no realistic prospect of China being able to match the capabilities of the global leading edge semiconductor manufacturers in the next few years.
Oppo’s Chip Progress, Alibaba’s Possible Acquisition
Oppo’s chip makes progress. Chinese mobile-phone giant Oppo seems
to be making progress in designing its own mobile SoC.