Huawei is charting a new course for the next decade, emphasizing a strategic shift towards artificial intelligence (AI). This marks a significant departure from its previous focus on cloud computing and intellectual property over the past two decades. The announcement was made by Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s rotating chairwoman and chief financial officer, during a company event in Shanghai.
In a statement, Huawei expressed its commitment to leveraging AI’s growing influence on various industries, stating, “As artificial intelligence gains steam and its impact on industry continues to grow, Huawei’s All Intelligence strategy is designed to help all industries make the most of new strategic opportunities.”
Meng Wanzhou emphasized Huawei’s goal of establishing a robust computing infrastructure for China and offering another AI computing option for the global market. However, specific details regarding their plans were not disclosed at the time of the announcement.
This strategic shift by Huawei follows a similar move by fellow Chinese tech giant Alibaba, which also recently prioritized AI development. Additionally, companies like Japan’s SoftBank and others have previously expressed their intentions to focus more on AI, driven by excitement surrounding advanced AI platforms like GPT-4.
It’s worth noting that Meng Wanzhou returned to China in September 2021 after nearly three years of house arrest in Canada due to an extradition battle with the United States. She and Huawei had faced charges related to alleged bank fraud and evasion of economic sanctions against Iran. Ultimately, an agreement with the US Department of Justice led to the dismissal of these charges.
In the context of this strategic update, Huawei was mentioned in allegations made by China against the United States. China’s Ministry of State Security accused Washington of infiltrating Huawei servers approximately 15 years ago, alleging cyberattacks, espionage, and data theft. Huawei refrained from commenting on these allegations, while the NSA did not respond immediately.
These accusations are noteworthy because they align with long-standing suspicions by US officials that Huawei’s technology may be used for espionage, leading to trade restrictions on the company. Huawei has consistently denied such allegations, asserting its independence from the Chinese government.
In 2019, Huawei was placed on the US “entity list,” imposing restrictions on exports to the company without US government approval. These restrictions were further extended in the subsequent year to cut off Huawei’s chip suppliers that relied on US technology.
Recent developments have added to US-China tensions, as Huawei launched the Mate 60 Pro, a flagship smartphone that appears to include a 5G chip. This move prompted a US investigation, with analysts speculating that Huawei may have found a way to circumvent American export controls.