China AI accelerator shift runs into HBM supply bottleneck

China's AI accelerator market is shifting rapidly toward domestic silicon, but memory remains one of the hardest parts to localize. Tom's Hardware, citing TrendForce, reports that Chinese AI accelerators could take nearly 90% of domestic high-end AI processor sales in 2026, compared with 45% in 2025. Huawei and Cambricon are expected to benefit as Nvidia and AMD lose share under export restrictions and local adoption mandates. The memory signal is the bottleneck. The article says Huawei has relied on Samsung HBM2-class supply, while noting that those inventories are finite. It also says CXMT is preparing HBM3 production in late 2026, but the ramp speed remains uncertain. If China can produce enough accelerators but not enough high-bandwidth memory, domestic AI deployments may face constrained volumes, alternative memory designs, or continued dependence on limited imported stock.