April 25 (Reuters) - A group of Chinese chip companies

led by Huawei Technologies and backed by the country's

government aims to produce high-bandwidth memory (HBM)

semiconductors, a key component in AI chips by 2026, The

Information reported on Thursday.

The project, part of China's efforts to provide home-grown

alternatives to Nvidia's ( NVDA ) AI chips, started last year and

includes Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit, a memory chip maker

under U.S. sanctions along with Huawei, according to the report.

The group also relies on other Chinese chip producers and

packaging technology developers and it will work to tailor its

memory chips to Huawei-designed AI processor chips and

supporting motherboard components, the report said.

Huawei and Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit did not

immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

China has in recent years poured investment into its

domestic chip industry to reduce its dependence on foreign

technology and overcome U.S. export curbs that limit its access

to advanced semiconductors including Nvidia's ( NVDA ) AI chips.

While HBM chips are not directly under U.S. restrictions on

exports, they are made using American chip technology that

Huawei is barred from accessing as part of the curbs.

The Information reported that the Huawei-led consortium had

built at least two HBM production lines, using memory chips from

different companies, in a form of internal competition. It added

that Huawei would likely be the largest buyer of the HBMs.