Liang Hua: Technology for a Greener and More Sustainable, Intelligent World – Huawei

[Shenzhen, China, July 8, 2021] On July 8, Huawei has jointly held a forum themed “Tech & Sustainability ” in Shenzhen with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Liang Hua, Huawei’s Chairman, delivered a welcoming speech, sharing how innovation has been enabling sustainable development and building a greener, intelligent world.

Liang Hua said that the digital economy has become a new engine of global economic growth, and Huawei is committed to making a positive impact through digital technology innovation. Huawei launched the TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Initiative, which works with governments, enterprises, and non-profit organizations to bridge the digital divide and provide universal and undifferentiated digital services for all.

Transcript as blow:

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon!

Welcome to today’s forum! Today, we will explore the role that technology can play in driving sustainable development in the digital economy and how we can build a greener and more inclusive intelligent world.

Climate change has now become a huge roadblock for social development. We need to move faster towards low-carbon development and green growth models. We also need to protect the environment, and promote green economic recovery. These are common goals shared by the global community.

Technology can help. In particular, digital and intelligent technologies are playing an increasingly important role in this process.

Huawei focuses on providing ICT infrastructure and smart devices. We are committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. We use innovative technologies to enable green development, support environmental protection, and drive broader digital inclusion. We want to do our part to promote social progress and make the world a better place. That’s how we drive sustainability at Huawei.

We will continue innovating to enable green development, support environmental protection, and fight global climate change.

Green and sustainable development has become a top priority in world economies. Carbon neutrality has become a globally recognized goal, kicking off a green industrial revolution across the globe. Nations and enterprises are investing more in clean and renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions, as part of their efforts to address climate change.

Today, digital technologies like 5G, cloud, and AI are pushing the digital economy into a new phase. We believe that a digital economy should, first and foremost, be a green economy. In essence, the ICT industry has been working to using less energy to transmit, process, and store more information. Take 5G as an example. Its energy consumption per bit is only one-tenth of 4G’s, but it can provide 30 times the capacity.

ICT technologies are important enablers of energy conservation and emissions reduction in other industries. For example, digital technology helps improve energy networks, making data a key resource in the energy internet. Now, we can use bits to manage watts and data flows to optimize energy flows. This will make energy networks greener and more intelligent, reliable, and efficient.

We have extensive experience in power electronics and energy storage. We have combined this with our technical expertise in 5G, cloud, and AI, to develop our digital power business and provide power solutions for different industries. We will continue to promote clean electricity generation, help electrify the transportation sector, build green ICT infrastructure, and focus on intelligent energy storage. We will combine computing and electric power to drive the intelligent upgrade of the energy sector.

We will also use digital technology to help generate more electricity from renewable sources and optimize energy supply and demand models. This can help accelerate our transition to green energy sources, benefiting the entire energy sector and the world as a whole.

As of December 2020, Huawei’s digital power products and solutions have generated 325 billion kWh of electricity from renewable sources, and saved 10 billion kWh of electricity. These efforts have resulted in a reduction of 160 million tons in CO2 emissions.

Technology can do more than just drive economic growth. Technological advances can help us better understand and protect nature, mitigate the impact of human activity on the planet, and help make the world a better place. Here are some examples.

We have launched the Tech4Nature program with the IUCN. This three-year partnership will pilot new and customized digital technologies to enhance the impact of conservation at flagship sites across five countries, and develop innovative digital tools and solutions for more than 300 protected areas worldwide.

Since 2019, we have worked with Rainforest Connection, a non-profit organization, to deploy solar-powered sound monitoring systems in forests around the world. The “Nature Guardian” systems use HUAWEI CLOUD AI and wireless connectivity technologies to detect the sounds of illegal logging and alert local authorities, so that they can intervene before it’s too late. By the end of 2020, these Guardians have been deployed in 18 countries across five continents, where they are helping local rangers and conservationists better protect nature.

We believe that technology can drive greater digital inclusion.

The digital economy has become the new engine of economic growth around the world. At Huawei, we want to create a positive impact with our technology. So we work closely with governments, customers, enterprises, and non-profit organizations to give back to local communities. We have launched the TECH4ALL digital inclusion initiative to help bridge the digital divide and provide universal and equal access to digital services.

In Europe, we’ve launched the StorySign app with local partners. Powered by AI, this app translates popular children’s books into sign language, opening up the world of books to small children with hearing impairments. By end of 2020, more than 70 different children’s books were available on the app in 15 sign languages, including Libras, Spanish Sign Language, French Sign Language, and British Sign Language.

In New Zealand, Huawei helped launch vehicle-mounted medical clinics called MAiPODs. Powered by 4G, Wi-Fi 6, and a dedicated cloud platform, each MAiPOD can support remote real-time consultations with doctors and specialists, and provide timely medical services for disadvantaged families.

In Kenya, Huawei is working with UNESCO to convert cargo containers into mobile, digital classrooms that provide digital skills training to teachers, women, and young entrepreneurs in remote regions. This will give them equal access to digital education resources. Through these efforts, the futures of numerous young people will change for the better.

In China, Huawei teams up with its partners to create multiple scenario-based distance education solutions using technologies like 5G, cloud, and AI. This makes it easier for more people to acquire knowledge and skills online.

We believe that digital talent will play a more important role in driving digital transformation and advancing the digital economy. Digital skills and literacy are not just the foundation for the digital economy. They have been deemed a basic human right by the United Nations.

Huawei is committed to helping develop digital talent in the countries where it operates. In 2008, we began launching talent development programs, including scholarships, technology competitions, and digital skills training, and have since benefited 1.54 million people from over 150 countries. Huawei has invested more than US$150 million in these programs. Today we are announcing our Seeds for the Future Program 2.0, as part of our ongoing efforts to develop talent. We plan to invest US$150 million in digital talent development over the next five years, which is expected to benefit more than 3 million additional people. Moving forward, we hope more people and organizations will join our TECH4ALL initiative to support our digital talent development programs.

Open collaboration is the best way forward, so we hope to work closely with scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs from across the globe. Through joint innovation, we can better balance economic growth and environmental protection, and promote green and sustainable development

Huawei is committed to working with its global partners for shared success. We will use innovative technologies to support environmental protection, drive broader digital inclusion, and promote greater sustainability. Together, we will build a fully connected, intelligent world.

Thank you!