Huawei's recent international media roundtable, featuring Richard Yu, Executive Director and Chairman of the Investment Review Board, underscored the company's relentless focus on innovation and its strategic pivot away from U.S. technologies. The event, reported via Media OutReach Newswire, revealed that Huawei has invested over CNY1.8 trillion in R&D between 2007 and 2025, with annual R&D spending now exceeding 20% of revenue. This massive investment has fueled breakthroughs in semiconductors, AI, and operating systems, positioning Huawei as a formidable player despite ongoing geopolitical challenges.
Central to Huawei's strategy is the HarmonyOS ecosystem, which now powers more than 90 million devices, including smartphones, PCs, and tablets. With over 450,000 apps and services and 11 million registered developers globally, HarmonyOS represents the third major mobile operating system after iOS and Android. Yu indicated that Huawei is considering gradually bringing HarmonyOS to the global market, a move that could disrupt the duopoly of Apple and Google. The ecosystem's growth is supported by 23,000 app innovation partners, highlighting Huawei's collaborative approach to building a self-sustaining technology stack.
Huawei's semiconductor advancements are equally significant. The newly launched Mate 90 series features the Kirin 9050 Pro chip, which delivers 31% higher performance than its predecessor. Notably, the chip incorporates LogicFolding technology under the Tau Scaling Law, a breakthrough that vertically stacks logic layers to reduce latency and enhance AI processing. This innovation allows the Mate 90 to run a 30-billion-parameter on-device AI model, showcasing Huawei's ability to circumvent advanced process node restrictions. Yu confirmed that more phones will adopt LogicFolding chips in the future, signaling a broader rollout of this technology.
The implications extend beyond consumer devices. Huawei's Ascend compute foundation and openPangu large models are driving AI capabilities for intelligent driving, network operations, and enterprise productivity. By leveraging domestic open-source models and AI computing power, Huawei aims to help industries worldwide become more efficient. This integrated approach—spanning chips, operating systems, and AI—positions Huawei as a vertically integrated tech giant capable of competing on a global scale.
However, challenges remain. Yu acknowledged that advanced semiconductor production capacity in China cannot yet meet demand, and memory price increases have constrained smartphone sales. To address this, Huawei has developed a requirement plan covering both AI and smartphone chips. The company hopes for capacity ramp-up in China's semiconductor industry to support future growth. Despite these constraints, Huawei's wearable and TWS earphone businesses are thriving, with number one market share in China and globally. HarmonyOS-based tablets and CPE routers are also gaining traction in overseas markets, helping connect remote communities.
Huawei's journey since 2019, when U.S. restrictions intensified, has been marked by a shift to homegrown technologies. By 2023, Huawei resumed domestic chip manufacturing, and with HarmonyOS and a domestic supply chain, it has largely eliminated dependence on U.S. technologies. While its global smartphone market share has dwindled to a few million units outside China annually, Yu revealed plans to return to overseas markets step by step. This ambition, coupled with HarmonyOS's potential global expansion, could reshape the competitive landscape.
For a detailed Q&A session, readers can refer to the full transcript at https://www.apmultimedianewsroom.com/multimedia-newsroom/continuous-innovation-securing-our-competitive-edge-through-technological-breakthroughs. The roundtable makes clear that Huawei's continuous innovation is not just about survival but about securing a competitive edge through technological breakthroughs. As the company pushes boundaries in chips, AI, and operating systems, it challenges the status quo and offers an alternative model for global tech development. The coming years will reveal whether Huawei's bet on self-reliance and ecosystem building can translate into sustained international success.
