Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the transformation of the AI industry, emphasizing that the competition has shifted from hardware capabilities to a battle for software, developers, and ecosystem building, with Huawei's Ascend and its heterogeneous computing architecture CANN at the forefront of this change [1][4]. Summary by Sections CANN Open Source Announcement - Huawei's rotating chairman Xu Zhijun announced that the CANN hardware enabling will be fully open-sourced by December 30, 2025 [2]. Significance of CANN Open Source - The open-sourcing of CANN represents a profound self-revolution in the domestic AI infrastructure, aiming to break the closed model traditionally dominated by hardware manufacturers and embrace a more open and community-driven future [4][19]. - The success of the ecosystem relies on attracting academic innovation and creating a stable, universal, and efficient foundational tool for developers [5][18]. Developer Perspectives on CANN - Developers describe CANN's evolution as a challenging journey, with early versions requiring low-level programming skills, which hindered productivity [10][11]. - The introduction of the Ascend C programming language marked a significant improvement, aligning more closely with mainstream programming practices [15]. Challenges Faced by Developers - Early developers faced high technical barriers and a lack of stable architecture, leading to a difficult development environment [11][13]. - Systemic issues persisted, such as the inability to reproduce model accuracy across different frameworks due to a lack of transparency in the underlying systems [17]. The Role of Open Source - Open sourcing CANN is seen as a means to break down technical barriers and empower developers by providing transparency and control over the platform [21][23]. - The open-source model aims to foster a vibrant community where developers can contribute and innovate, moving away from reliance on a few official experts [29]. Ecosystem Empowerment - Open source provides unprecedented opportunities for deep integration between academia and industry, allowing researchers to address real-world problems and convert solutions into academic contributions [26]. - The shift from users to contributors is expected to cultivate a new generation of developers who can engage in high-quality projects [28]. Future Outlook for CANN - The current focus is on matching CUDA's capabilities while fostering original innovations within the CANN ecosystem [44]. - Huawei has committed to investing significant resources, including 1,500 petaflops of computing power and 30,000 development boards annually, to support the open-source community [45].
「从追赶者到引领者，路有多远？」 我们和CANN一线开发者聊了聊
机器之心·2025-09-28 04:50