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 as a cornerstone of its competitive strategy. The event, reported by Media OutReach Newswire, highlighted Huawei's substantial investments in research and development, which have totalled more than CNY1.8 trillion between 2007 and 2025, rising from roughly 10% of annual revenue in early years to over 20% recently. This sustained commitment has yielded robust core capabilities, extensive intellectual property, and a vast patent portfolio, enabling breakthroughs that could redefine Huawei's position in the global technology ecosystem.
A key revelation was Huawei's progress in semiconductor design despite limited access to advanced processes. The newly launched Mate 90 series smartphones feature the Kirin 9050 Pro chip, which incorporates Huawei's in-house designs for the Balong modem, image sensor processor, mobile security processor, Lingxi CPU, Maleoon GPU, and NPU based on the Da Vinci architecture. These components deliver 31% higher overall device performance compared to the previous generation. Notably, the chip employs LogicFolding technology under the Tau Scaling Law, unveiled by He Tingbo, head of Huawei's Semiconductor Business Department. This technology vertically stacks logic layers and restructures circuit layouts to shorten critical paths and reduce latency, enabling the Mate 90 series to run a 30B MoE on-device AI model. Such advancements demonstrate Huawei's ability to innovate around constraints, potentially setting new standards for chip design efficiency.
The implications extend beyond hardware. Huawei's HarmonyOS ecosystem, developed since 2019, now powers more than 90 million devices, including smartphones, PCs, and tablets, with expectations to surpass 100 million by year-end. The ecosystem boasts over 450,000 apps and services, 11 million registered developers, and 23,000 app innovation partners. Yu indicated that Huawei is considering gradually bringing HarmonyOS to the global market, which could intensify competition with iOS and Android. This move, coupled with Huawei's efforts to return to overseas markets step by step, signals a strategic pivot that may challenge the dominance of established operating systems and foster a more diversified technological landscape.
Huawei's trajectory also carries significant geopolitical and economic weight. Yu noted that Huawei has basically gotten rid of dependence on U.S. technologies by relying on homegrown operating systems, tools, and a domestic supply chain. Since 2023, Huawei has manufactured smartphone chips domestically, a milestone that underscores China's growing self-sufficiency in semiconductors. While Huawei's global smartphone market share has dwindled to several million units annually outside China, its wearables and TWS earphones have achieved No. 1 rankings in many countries. The company's HarmonyOS-based tablets and CPE mobile routers are also gaining traction, particularly in remote areas, helping to connect underserved populations. These developments suggest that Huawei's innovation strategy not only secures its competitive edge but also contributes to broader digital inclusion and technological sovereignty.
Looking ahead, Huawei's ability to scale production of advanced chips remains a challenge. Yu acknowledged that domestic capacity for advanced semiconductors cannot yet meet rapidly growing demand, and memory component price increases have somewhat limited smartphone sales. However, Huawei has developed a requirement plan covering chip needs for smartphones and AI infrastructure. The company hopes China's semiconductor industry will ramp up production to support more advanced products for both Chinese and overseas markets. For a full Q&A session, see the detailed transcript. As Huawei navigates these challenges, its emphasis on continuous innovation could reshape global supply chains, influence tech standards, and inspire other firms facing similar constraints, making its progress a bellwether for the industry's future.
