Biren posts 2,000% revenue surge as US chip curbs reshape China’s AI market

Chinese AI accelerator maker Biren Technology reported first-half 2026 revenue of $183.9 million, a nearly 2,000% increase from the same period a year earlier, according to Jon Peddie Research. The surge underscores how U.S. export controls have reshaped the competitive landscape for AI chips in China, clearing the way for domestic suppliers as Nvidia ↘ 5.39% and AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. ↗ 12.89% were forced to stop shipping advanced processors to the country.c4ads

A Windfall Built on a Small Base

Biren's revenue landed within its own guided range of $170.5 million to $193.1 million, which the Hong Kong-listed company disclosed in an August stock exchange filing. Gross profit reached $78.5 million with a 42.7% margin, though the firm still posted a $56.2 million loss as it invested in next-generation accelerators and its Birensupa software stack, a would-be competitor to Nvidia's CUDA ecosystem.tomshardware+2

The headline growth rate, however, comes off a tiny base. In the first half of 2025, Biren generated roughly $8.7 million in revenue while Nvidia was still shipping some 2.2 million H20 AI GPUs to Chinese buyers, according to TrendForce data cited by Tom's Hardware. For the full year 2025, Biren's sales totaled $154 million and its share of the Chinese AI accelerator market remained below 3%. The South China Morning Post reported that Biren attributed its rapid growth to expanding AI use cases, a maturing software ecosystem, and the low prior-year base.scmp+1

Export Controls: Fueling Domestic Demand, but Leaking Chips

The same U.S. restrictions that opened the door for Biren are proving difficult to enforce. A report published September 9 by C4ADS, a Washington-based nonprofit, documented three active pathways through which restricted Nvidia chips continue to reach Chinese end users. Between July 2025 and January 2026, Chinese universities and research institutions procured at least 56 restricted Nvidia chips worth $1.7 million, often bundled inside larger contracts and routed through uncredentialed intermediaries. C4ADS also identified 50 export shipments totaling roughly $13.4 million diverted through Vietnam, India, and Malaysia to Hong Kong and China between 2023 and 2025.exportcompliancedaily+1

The report flagged Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based firm previously reported by Bloomberg and The New York Times to be the largest Southeast Asian importer of Nvidia hardware, with $4.6 billion in imports from 2022 to 2025 and beneficial owners that may have ties to the PRC.c4ads

The Road Ahead

Biren now faces a different kind of challenge: scaling production. The company relies on SMIC Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation and other domestic foundries and must compete with larger Chinese rivals including Huawei, Cambricon, and Kunlunxin for manufacturing capacity. Whether Biren can convert its design competitiveness into sustained market share will depend on securing enough fabrication slots to meet what, for now, appears to be rapidly growing demand.tomshardware