'Huawei Connect 2022' Opens in Bangkok: "Cloud Expands to 170 Countries"

'The Catalyst of Digitalization'... ICT Drives Growth

Ken Hu, Rotating Chairman of Huawei, is delivering the keynote speech at 'Huawei Connect 2022' held in Bangkok, Thailand on the 19th. Photo by Huawei

[Bangkok (Thailand) = Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] Huawei Cloud is expanding into Indonesia, Ireland, and other countries, aiming to provide cloud services in 170 countries worldwide by the end of the year. The company introduced its mid- to long-term plans and vision to support the successful completion of digital transformation using next-generation digital technologies in the wake of the COVID-19 endemic phase.

Ken Hu, Huawei Chairman: "Corporate Competitiveness in the New Era Depends on Digital Productivity"

On the 19th, Huawei held the 'Huawei Connect 2022' event in Bangkok, Thailand, announcing its commitment to closely collaborate with governments of various countries to build a global digital ecosystem and further expand an open ecosystem together with partners and collaborators.

Ken Hu, Huawei Rotating Chairman, delivered the keynote speech under the theme "Unleash Digital." Hu emphasized, "Digitalization is undoubtedly the right choice," adding, "Both demand and technology depend on digitalization. The world is unleashing digital productivity, and this is happening right now."

Over the past two years since the spread of COVID-19, the global economy has shown unstable growth. However, the digital economy has steadily grown worldwide, with a 15% increase last year. As a result, many organizations are pursuing operational and service innovations through next-generation digital technologies. Huawei invests 10-15% of its annual revenue in research and development (R&D). Last year, it invested 142.7 billion yuan (approximately 28 trillion KRW), and in 2020, 141.9 billion yuan (approximately 23 trillion KRW).

Hu suggested three ways the information and communications technology (ICT) ecosystem can help overcome common barriers in digital transformation: ▲ strengthening digital infrastructure including robust connectivity and powerful computing resources ▲ supporting not just cloud adoption but maximizing cloud utilization ▲ leading regional digital ecosystem development by partner development, strengthening digital talent pools, and expanding support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

He also introduced Huawei Cloud, which leads corporate digital leaps. Hu stated, "There is no doubt that the cloud is the way of the future, but for most organizations, especially small and medium enterprises, the cloud tends to offer only traditional benefits. Huawei will support organizations to truly utilize the cloud beyond simple adoption."

Huawei Cloud Expands to Indonesia and Ireland... Targeting Over 170 Countries

In the keynote speech, Zhang Ping'an, CEO of Huawei Cloud, revealed plans to establish new Huawei Cloud regions in Indonesia and Ireland. Currently, Huawei Cloud operates 75 availability zones across 29 regions worldwide, including China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore. By adding Indonesia and Ireland within the year, Huawei plans to activate services in over 170 countries and regions.

Additionally, Huawei Cloud is launching the 'Cloud to the World' ecosystem plan with partners. This plan, focused on "Everything as a Service (XaaS)," aims to accelerate the development of the global digital industry ecosystem through innovation with partners.

Huawei Cloud is striving to build the industry's leading platform supporting cloud innovation. As part of these efforts, Jacqueline Xi, Huawei Cloud Global Marketing and Sales Services President, announced the global launch of over 15 new services, including Huawei Cloud Container Engine (CCE) Turbo, Ubiquitous Cloud Native Service (UCS), Pangu Wave Model, Data Art Lake Formation, Virtual Live, Code Check and Cloud Test, KooMessage, KooSearch, and KooGallery.

Building Regional Ecosystems for Mutual Growth

At the event, Huawei emphasized the need to foster regional ecosystems including partners and startups, not just Huawei's own growth, to create a digital ecosystem. This requires closer collaboration between governments and enterprises and engagement in open cooperation.

Simon Lin, Huawei Asia-Pacific Regional President, unveiled the 'Digital First Economy' white paper containing policy proposals for building digital infrastructure and developing the digital economy in the Asia-Pacific region during his keynote speech.

Lin stated, "The Asia-Pacific region leads the global digital environment. Huawei is committed to making a core contribution to the digital economy in the Asia-Pacific region and will continue to support digitalization and sustainable development efforts and build industrial ecosystems."

The event, now in its seventh year, is themed "Unleash Digital." It brings together global ICT industry leaders, experts, and partners to explore ways to effectively enhance digital productivity, promote the digital economy, and build a stronger digital ecosystem. This is the first offline event in three years due to COVID-19.

Starting in Bangkok, Thailand, where the Asia-Pacific regional headquarters is located, the event will also be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Paris, France, concluding in November in Shenzhen, China, where the headquarters is based.

Attendees included Asian-Pacific government delegations such as Funmichau Supatong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Thailand; Chaiwut Thanakamanuson, Minister of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand; Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of Indonesia; Muhammad Abdul Mannan, Planning Minister of Bangladesh; David Almirol, Deputy Secretary of Electronic Government at the Department of Information and Communications Technology of the Philippines; and Yang Mee Ying, Secretary-General of the ASEAN Foundation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.