China's Huawei Unveils Chip For Global Big Data Market

Huawei Technologies Ltd. showed off a new processor chip for data centers and cloud computing this week, expanding into new and growing markets despite Western warnings the company might be a security risk.

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Huawei and other Chinese technology companies that rely on Western technology are stepping up efforts to develop their own.

The company based in southern China’s Shenzhen has pushed ahead with commercial initiatives despite the Dec. 1 arrest of its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, in Canada on U.S. charges related to possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran.

Huawei said the Kunpeng 920 chip is designed for servers that handle a flood of data from smartphones, video and other network services — a fast growing sector with the development of artificial intelligence and the “internet of things.” The company said it is part of a planned product lineup to support “intelligent computing.”

Huawei, founded in 1987 by a former military engineer, is China’s first global tech competitor and a national champion at the head of an industry the ruling Communist Party is eager to promote. The company says it is employee-owned and rejects accusations by Washington and some other governments that it is controlled by the ruling party and might facilitate spying.