Huawei and Cambricon Raise AI Chip Prices on Rising HBM Costs: Reuters

Reuters reported on September 10, citing three sources familiar with the matter, that Chinese AI chip makers including Huawei and Cambricon have recently raised prices for existing and next-generation products due to tight high-bandwidth memory (HBM) supply and rising procurement costs. Some products have seen price increases of 20% to 50% within two months.

Two of the sources said Huawei's Ascend 950DT accelerator card now has an indicative price of more than 250,000 yuan, up 20% to 50% from quotes offered to customers two months ago, depending on contract terms. Cambricon's next-generation chip, temporarily referred to as "690" and not yet officially released, has also reportedly been repriced, with the latest indicative quote around 20% to 30% higher than two months ago.

According to Reuters, other Chinese AI chip makers such as MetaX and Tianshu Zhixin have made similar adjustments, though the companies have not confirmed the reports. Reuters attributed the price changes mainly to rising HBM costs, which are a key component of AI accelerators and have gradually pushed up the prices of finished cards.

When asked about the reports, Cambricon said it had not issued any price increase announcement, according to 21st Century Business Herald. The company advised investors to refer to its official disclosures and not to rely on market rumors, adding that it cannot predict future product price trends and will focus on business execution to stabilize market expectations.