DeepSeek's Huawei megacluster, Techtember's flagship flood, and Grok's telling delay
Today: China wires up a 160,000-chip Huawei AI cluster while training stays on Nvidia, September's flagship wave gives every upgrader a reason to wait, a slick iPad Pencil trick, a 15-minute Google privacy clean-up, and why Grok 4.7's slipped deadline is actually the honest move.
- Long Press · Daily Five13 Sept 202601 / 05
commentaryChina's chip power play — DeepSeek bets big on Huawei
DeepSeek is deploying at least 160,000 Huawei Ascend 950DT accelerators at a new ~1GW data centre in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia — one of the largest known Huawei AI clusters to date. The catch: those chips run inference only; DeepSeek still trains its models on Nvidia GPUs. It's a real step toward serving AI at scale inside China, even as the frontier stays Nvidia-dependent.
The problem
China's top AI labs need vast compute to serve their models, but US export rules keep Nvidia's best chips largely out of the country.
What changed
DeepSeek plans to run at least 160,000 Huawei Ascend 950DT accelerators at a roughly 1GW data centre in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia — among the biggest domestic AI clusters yet. Bernstein estimates Huawei could capture about half of China's AI-chip market this year while Nvidia's share falls toward 8%.
The catch
The chips are for inference only — model training still runs on Nvidia GPUs. Huawei's production is capacity-constrained, so full delivery could take more than a year, slipping into late 2027 or 2028.
What it means for you
It's a signal, not a threat: expect more China-only AI services running on domestic silicon, while cutting-edge model training stays tied to Nvidia for now.
- Long Press · Daily Five13 Sept 202602 / 05
commentaryTechtember is loaded — don't buy a phone this week
September is stacked with flagship launches: the Vivo X500 Pro (Dimensity 9600 Pro), Oppo Find X10 Pro (triple 200MP camera), the rumoured Xiaomi 18 (first with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, tipped for ~Sep 24), plus the iQOO 16 and Huawei Mate 90 series. If you're mid-upgrade, waiting two weeks means cheaper current flagships and more options.
The problem
Phone prices and specs are about to shift fast, and buying right before a launch wave usually means overpaying for a soon-to-be-old model.
What changed
A dense 'Techtember' lineup lands this month — Vivo X500 Pro (Dimensity 9600 Pro), Oppo Find X10 Pro (triple 200MP), the rumoured Xiaomi 18 on the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 (~Sep 24), plus iQOO 16 and Huawei Mate 90 series.
The catch
Several dates and specs — notably the Xiaomi 18 and its chip — are still rumour, not official; exact India pricing and availability aren't confirmed yet.
What it means for you
If you're about to upgrade, give it two weeks: new launches pull older flagship prices down and widen your choices.
- Long Press · Daily Five13 Sept 202603 / 05
tipHandwrite into any text field on iPad
On iPad with an Apple Pencil, you can handwrite directly into almost any text field — Safari's address bar, search boxes, forms — and iPadOS converts it to typed text instantly. Scratch out a word to delete it, draw a vertical line to add a space. Turn it on under Settings > Apple Pencil > Scribble.
The problem
Switching to the on-screen keyboard for a quick search or form entry breaks your flow when you're already holding the Pencil.
What changed
iPadOS Scribble converts Apple Pencil handwriting into typed text inside any text field, with gestures to delete (scratch out) and insert spaces (vertical line).
The catch
It needs an Apple Pencil and works best in standard text fields; handwriting recognition quality varies by language.
What it means for you
Enable Settings > Apple Pencil > Scribble and you can search, fill forms and jot short notes without ever reaching for the keyboard.
- Long Press · Daily Five13 Sept 202604 / 05
securityDelete yourself from Google Search
Your phone number, email and even home address often sit exposed in Google Search results. Google's free 'Results about you' tool scans for them, lets you request removal in a tap, and alerts you when new results appear. Find it in the Google app under your profile picture. Fifteen minutes now means a lot less exposure later.
The problem
Personal contact details — phone, email, home address — frequently show up in Google Search, where anyone can find them in seconds.
What changed
Google's free 'Results about you' tool actively scans Search for your personal info, offers one-tap removal requests, and notifies you when new results surface.
The catch
It only covers Google Search, not the source websites themselves, and coverage is strongest in some regions; removals can take time to process.
What it means for you
Open the Google app > profile picture > Results about you, review what's listed, and request removal — a quick, high-value privacy clean-up.
- Long Press · Daily Five13 Sept 202605 / 05
hot takeLate beats broken: Grok 4.7's delay is the right call
Elon Musk promised Grok 4.7 'in 10 days.' The countdown expired again, with xAI explaining the model was trained to give up early on hard tasks. Honest take: shipping a half-baked flagship just to hit a self-imposed tweet deadline does more damage than being late. Every serious lab eventually learns that ship-date theatre isn't a roadmap.
The problem
AI labs face pressure to hit loud, public launch dates — but rushing a flagship model out to meet them risks shipping something that underperforms.
What changed
xAI held Grok 4.7 back past Musk's '10 days' target, saying reinforcement-learning tuning was over-penalising response length and making the model give up early on hard tasks — so it needs more time.
The catch
This is xAI's own explanation for the delay; the model's real-world performance can't be judged until it actually ships, and xAI has a history of slipping Grok dates.
What it means for you
Treat hyped launch countdowns with healthy skepticism — a delayed model that works is worth more than an on-time one that doesn't.