Huawei has unveiled its new Ascend 310 AI chip for PCs, claiming it delivers double the AI performance of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite. Designed for the Orange Pi mini PC, this octa-core processor targets AI development and high-performance computing for compact desktop systems.
Powerful Performance for AI Applications
The Ascend 310 is a 64-bit ARM-based octa-core processor capable of reaching 176 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second), making it twice as fast as the Snapdragon X2 Elite in AI tasks. Orange Pi’s AI Studio mini PCs leverage this chip to accelerate deep learning models, AI inference, and other compute-heavy applications.
For developers, this means faster training times, improved real-time AI performance, and the ability to run sophisticated models like DeepSeek-R1 efficiently on a small form factor PC.
Orange Pi AI Studio PCs
The Orange Pi AI Studio PCs pair the Ascend 310 with either 48GB or 96GB of RAM and 32MB of SPI flash. The Pro version can combine two AI Studio units into a 16-core setup, further increasing total throughput. However, the compact design imposes some limitations: connectivity, storage, and peripherals rely primarily on a single USB 4.0 Type-C port, a DC power port, a power switch, and an LED indicator.
Operating system support currently includes Ubuntu 22.04.5 and Linux 5.15.0.126, with potential future compatibility for Windows on ARM.
Implications for the AI Market
By outperforming the Snapdragon X2 Elite in AI workloads, Huawei positions the Ascend 310 as a competitive solution for developers, researchers, and AI enthusiasts seeking portable yet powerful computing platforms. Combined with the Orange Pi AI Studio, this chip may redefine the capabilities of mini PCs in AI experimentation and deployment.
The Ascend 310 demonstrates Huawei’s growing focus on AI hardware, providing high efficiency and compute power that rivals established players while supporting next-generation AI software frameworks.
