William Xu, Huawei's Director of the Board and President of the Institute of Strategic Research Photo: Courtesy of Huawei

Huawei's Director of the Board and President of the Institute of Strategic Research William Xu called on European leaders to enhance the region's leadership in innovation through four initiatives. Speaking at Huawei's European Innovation Day 2019 held in Paris on November 4, he called for a focus on basic research, deployment of the latest information and communications technologies to keep the region ahead of its competitors and enhance competitiveness, digital inclusion and sustainable development, and developing an inclusive innovation ecosystem.

"Europe has been one of the world's foremost innovation hubs. To continue holding its position in an increasingly competitive global market, we believe stakeholders of the region need to unite to establish some key initiatives," said Xu.

Innovation 2.0 focuses on theoretical breakthrough

"Huawei has been operating in Europe for many years. The idea of 'In Europe, For Europe' has always guided us as we strive to integrate into and contribute to Europe. We have focused on innovation in engineering, technology, and solutions to address customer needs. But as we move into Innovation 2.0, we will focus on theoretical breakthroughs and technological inventions based on our future vision. We want to closely work with researchers and industries across Europe to jointly research and explore development trends, and increase our investments in talent training and collaboration with universities," said William Xu.

Information and communications technology secures competitiveness

Huawei is working with European carriers to deploy high-speed, low-latency 5G networks. 5G and other advanced technologies will improve connectivity across Europe and empower the digital transformation of European industries. "5G networks, new-generation chips, and new data processing software will accelerate digital transformation. AI, IoT, and robots will stimulate digital innovation over the next five years. 5G is significantly impacting industries such as media, healthcare, energy, transportation, the automotive industry, logistics, and manufacturing," said François Barrault, chairman of IDATE DigiWorld.

Promote sustainable development in Europe

Huawei is committed to providing more people with convenient access to medical resources, offering the disadvantaged with educational opportunities, promoting equal access to digital resources, helping everyone benefit from technology, and protecting the environment through innovation in digital technology. Victoria Pueyo, co-founder of DIVE Medical, shared her company's highly successful collaboration with Huawei during the event. Doctors can quickly and easily evaluate children's visual functions and identify any visual impairment with Huawei's AI technology.

Build innovation ecosystem through uniting stakeholders

Huawei respects and supports the EU's digital sovereignty strategy. Huawei is committed to providing innovation platforms and resources to European companies by opening up capabilities in AI, intelligent computing systems, and deep learning systems. Huawei also intends to provide a more powerful platform for industry cooperation through OpenLabs. They call on regulators, researchers, and entrepreneurs to jointly promote the development of an innovative ecosystem in Europe, and encourages young students to participate in technological innovation.

This year's innovation day in Paris drew over 400 participants. The event aimed to explore opportunities for collaboration in basic research and promote European digital sovereignty.