Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is known for lots of things, such as being the number one manufacturer of smartphones in China. The Chinese company is also known for being a global leader in manufacturing telecom equipment, with carriers from many countries around the world making use of their technology. However, that might change soon as Huawei is planning to focus on using artificial intelligence, or better known as AI, to boost its core business which currently compromises of networking gear. The company is also focusing on how to apply AI to its own network in order to establish a global technology service with better network maintenance and breakdown diagnosis.
In order to do so, the company is stepping up its efforts in recruiting AI talents from the US, according to the Chief Executive Officer of Huawei, Ren Zhengfei. Zhenfgei went on to say that a huge global market of the network inventory is the best stage for AI, noting that the company’s trillion-dollar market requires more skillful and experienced staff in maintenance. AI could help experts save time and focus on 10 percent of all problems, leaving the rest to automation. In an example given by Zhengfai, by using AI, the company would be able to solve a network problem in Africa via tele-control. This happens to be Huawei’s first public announcement regarding its strategy towards the AI industry which is currently growing at a quick rate. Other companies such as Apple, Baidu and Xiaomi, have all started to invest in the industry, in order to establish a lead.
Zhengfai also mentioned that the company’s annual revenue is expected to exceed $150 billion by 2020, and that is when its growth will slow down. During that time, AI will be able to play a big role in the company’s growth. The speech by Zhengfai, was first posted on the company’s unofficial WeChat account on Sunday. While Huawei is the biggest smartphone manufacturer in its home country of China, it has a goal to take the top spot in the world from the likes of Samsung and Apple. At the moment, the company is known for its Huawei P9 flagship smartphone, which has a camera setup co-engineered with Leica.