Publié : 26 November 2025
Actualisé : 1 week ago
Fiabilité : ✓ Sources vérifiées
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📋 Table of Contents
Are US sanctions stifling Chinese innovation in artificial intelligence? Far from being defeated, Huawei is fighting back with a bold strategy: open source. Discover how Flex:ai , Huawei’s new software tool, could redefine the AI landscape in China and beyond.
🤖 Huawei’s Open-Source Revolution
Faced with restricted access to Nvidia chips, Huawei has chosen an alternative path: betting on open source. Flex:ai, their latest creation, is presented as a solution capable of optimizing the use of AI processors by 30%. But how does this technology actually work? And above all, what is the real impact of this strategy on the future of Chinese AI?
Key Point: Flex:ai is an open-source software tool designed to improve the efficiency of AI processors, particularly in China, in the face of US sanctions.
As Huawei Central points out, Flex:ai aims to maximize the power of GPUs, NPUs, and other AI accelerators manufactured in China. The trick? Intelligent orchestration based on Kubernetes, the backbone of modern AI infrastructure.
⚙️ How Flex:ai Boosts AI Chips
Imagine a conductor who optimally distributes instruments to create a harmonious symphony. That’s kind of Flex:ai’s role. The tool allows a single chip to be divided into multiple virtual units, up to 10 slices. Thus, instead of leaving a card underutilized, Flex:ai allows multiple AI tasks to be executed in parallel. Ingenious, isn’t it?
Hi Scheduler, Huawei’s in-house scheduler, is responsible for coordinating the whole thing. It intelligently distributes GPUs and NPUs within a cluster, while recovering unused resources from other nodes. Optimized resource management that allows you to get the most out of the available hardware.
Important: Flex:ai aims to solve the problem of underutilization of AI chips, a real bottleneck in the industry.
Zhou Yuefeng, vice president of Huawei, summarized the challenge during the presentation of Flex:ai: small tasks never saturate a card, large ones don’t fit on one, and parallel tasks turn hardware management into a real headache. Flex:ai aims to be a solution to this problem, by automating resource allocation and pooling.
🌍 An Open-Source Strategy to Circumvent Sanctions
By open-sourcing Flex:ai, Huawei is not just offering a high-performance tool. The company is also seeking to facilitate its adoption outside of China and build a credible alternative to dominant ecosystems. A long-term strategy that could well pay off.
But that’s not all. Huawei has been investing heavily in the semiconductor industry since 2019, through its Hubble fund. More than 60 companies, from design to manufacturing, benefit from this financial support. The goal? Achieve technological independence in the face of US sanctions.
💰 The Chinese State Steps Up
The Chinese government is not standing idly by. It is injecting more than $47 billion into its “Big Fund” to support the semiconductor industry. Huawei’s Ascend AI chip ecosystem is a central pillar of this strategy. A strong political will that demonstrates the strategic importance of AI for China.
📊 Summary Table: Flex:ai and Huawei’s Strategy
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Software Name | Flex:ai |
| Objective | Optimize the use of AI chips (up to 30%) |
| Key Technology | Kubernetes, Hi Scheduler |
| Strategy | Open Source, Investment in semiconductors |
| Context | US sanctions, Desire for technological independence |
⚔️ Nvidia Facing Huawei’s Rise
Meanwhile, Nvidia confirms that US restrictions are now completely blocking its sales of advanced chips to China. A considerable loss for the company and additional pressure for its local competitors. Huawei is therefore taking advantage of a strategic window: unable to buy the best chips, the company is focusing on optimization and innovation. A winning strategy? Time will tell.
Open source is a powerful weapon to overcome technological barriers.
❔ Frequently Asked Questions
So, what does Flex:ai actually do?
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