DeepSeek and Huawei Jointly Target Nvidia's Inference-Time Compute Advantage

DeepSeek and Huawei are mounting a coordinated challenge to Nvidia's dominance in AI inference-time compute, targeting a key pillar of Nvidia's market position. The collaboration combines DeepSeek's software optimization expertise with Huawei's Ascend AI chip hardware, aiming to close the gap with Nvidia's GPU-based inference performance. This represents a significant escalation in China's strategy to build a domestically controlled AI compute stack independent of US-controlled hardware.