对标英伟达CUDA，华为宣布开源CANN

Core Insights - Huawei announced the full open-source of its Ascend hardware enabling CANN and Mind series application toolkits, aiming to accelerate innovation among developers and enhance usability [1] - The core of Huawei's AI strategy is centered around computing power, with a focus on monetizing Ascend hardware [1] - CANN serves as a bridge between AI training frameworks and Ascend chips, similar to NVIDIA's CUDA, which is a critical component of NVIDIA's competitive advantage [1][3] Group 1: CANN and Its Ecosystem - CANN has been upgraded to version 8.0, introducing over 200 optimized basic operators, 80 fusion operators, and 100 Ascend C APIs, significantly reducing the typical operator development cycle from 2 person-months to 1.5 person-weeks [4] - CANN is gradually becoming compatible with more AI frameworks, currently supporting PyTorch, MindSpore, TensorFlow, PaddlePaddle, ONNX, and others, facilitating easier migration of models and applications [5] - Huawei is committed to a layered deep openness for CANN, providing more SDKs for application development to enhance deployment convenience and efficiency in model training and inference [5] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - Despite the advancements, CANN's usability and ecosystem richness still lag behind NVIDIA's 18-year-developed CUDA ecosystem, indicating a long road ahead for Huawei [7] - Huawei has adopted strategies similar to NVIDIA's initial promotion of CUDA by sending engineering teams to assist major clients in adapting to the CANN environment [7] - The open-sourcing of CANN is a strategic move by Huawei to rapidly expand its ecosystem, with industry leaders and institutions collaborating to build an open-source Ascend ecosystem [7] Group 3: Market Position - Huawei's self-developed AI framework MindSpore has achieved a 30.26% market share in China's AI framework sector, ranking first in 2024, reflecting the company's commitment to open-source initiatives [8] - The company has previously open-sourced other foundational software, countering claims of a closed and monopolistic approach to technology development [8]