Meng Wanzhou talked about the controversy and doubts at the time of Huawei's R&D investment
Recently, Meng Wanzhou, chairman of Huawei, mentioned in a public statement that Huawei's R&D investment in the past decade has exceeded 1.5 trillion yuan. This data is undoubtedly eye-catching, and has aroused widespread attention and heated discussions inside and outside the industry.
Regrettably, however, when Meng Wanzhou talked about this figure, there was a lot of ridicule and skepticism on the Internet. Some commentators think, "Huawei invests so much money in a year, do you know what Huawei has invented and created?" It really doesn't take so much money to develop a chip. Others believe that these investments are nothing at all, just "screwed with a screwdriver".
These skepticism and ridicule have several common characteristics: first, a lack of understanding of Huawei's R&D capabilities and achievements; second, there is a lack of awareness of the cost and complexity of R&D of key core technologies such as chips; Third, Huawei's tenacity and determination in the face of adversity also lack due understanding and respect.
In this regard, it is necessary to have a more comprehensive and in-depth interpretation of Huawei's R&D investment and the deeper meaning behind it.
Background and significance of Huawei's R&D investment
To understand Huawei's huge investment in R&D, we first need to understand its background and significance.
Fierce industry competition and an uncertain external environment
First of all, Huawei is in an extremely competitive communications equipment industry. As the world's leading communications equipment manufacturer, Huawei has long been competing with large multinational companies such as Samsung, Ericsson, and Nokia. Only by continuously increasing R&D investment can enterprises maintain a leading edge in technological innovation and stand out in the fierce market competition.
Second, in recent years, Huawei has also faced severe challenges from the external environment such as geopolitics. Suppressed and sanctioned by the United States and other Western countries, Huawei has fallen into an unprecedented predicament. In the face of such uncertainties, it is inevitable for Huawei to continue to increase R&D investment and accelerate the pace of independent innovation.
The need for technology accumulation and product competitiveness
In the field of communication equipment, especially in core technologies such as chips and software, R&D investment is the key to success. Only by continuously increasing investment can enterprises continue to enhance their technical strength and product competitiveness.
Taking Huawei's Kirin chip as an example, it requires a lot of manpower, financial resources, and time to go from concept to shipment. It is understood that Xiaomi's surging S2 series chips have failed to tape out 5 times in a row, requiring millions of dollars of capital investment each time. It can be seen that the cost of investment in this process is huge.
Over the past decade, Huawei has spared no effort in technology research and development to maintain its leading position in key areas and ensure the technological competitiveness of its products. Although it may be difficult to see significant returns in the short term, these investments are the fundamental driving force for Huawei's development in the long run.
The strategic need for "autonomous and controllable".
In the current complex geopolitical environment, Huawei is facing continuous pressure from the United States, which further exacerbates its "bottleneck" dilemma in key core technologies.
To this end, Huawei has to increase its investment in independent R&D to minimize its dependence on external supply chains and achieve true "autonomy and control". For example, after the sanctions, Huawei accelerated the development and promotion of its own operating system, HarmonyOS, which undoubtedly alleviated its predicament to a certain extent.
Therefore, Huawei's huge investment in R&D is the company's way to survive in a fiercely competitive and complex environment. It is not only an inevitable choice to deal with external challenges, but also the key to achieving independent development.
The epitome of Huawei's R&D capabilities and innovative achievements
Skeptics don't seem to have enough understanding of the underlying logic behind Huawei's large-scale R&D investment. In fact, Huawei's R&D capabilities and innovative achievements have long been widely recognized by the industry and the market.
The embodiment of technological leadership
Taking 5G technology as an example, Huawei has always been at the forefront of the industry. Over the past few years, the company has continuously increased its R&D investment in the field of 5G and has mastered many key patents. In recent years, its 5G products and solutions have been widely acclaimed around the world and have become the benchmark in the industry.
Looking at the field of smartphones, Huawei has successively launched flagship models favored by users, such as the P series and the Mate series, with excellent camera technology, excellent performance, and excellent user experience. Especially in the fields of AI and imaging, its innovation ability has led the development trend of global smartphones.
Not to mention Huawei's presence in emerging fields such as cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, all of which reflect its strong technological innovation strength. It can be said that the results of Huawei's R&D investment have long been a fact for all to see in the industry.
The ability to be autonomous and controllable has been continuously enhanced
For Huawei, the important value of R&D investment is to enhance its "independent and controllable" capabilities. For example, in the field of chips, Huawei not only did not back down after being sanctioned, but accelerated the independent research and development process of HiSilicon's chips.
Recently, Huawei once again launched a new generation of Kirin 9000S chips, which undoubtedly marks its growing strength in key core technologies. From relying solely on imported chips to independently developing products comparable to top chips, Huawei's footsteps have never stopped.
Similarly, in the field of operating systems, Huawei is also accelerating the promotion and application of the HarmonyOS system. This self-developed system has not only made great strides in performance, but has also been widely recognized for its safety and reliability. It can be said that it is becoming a trump card for Huawei after encountering sanctions.
The leading role of the industrial chain is highlighted
Huawei has not only achieved continuous innovation in its own technologies and products, but also driven the development of the entire industry chain with its strong R&D capabilities. This seems to be overlooked by many skeptics.
The hidden concerns and dilemmas behind Huawei's R&D investment
Although Huawei's R&D strength and innovation achievements have been widely recognized by the industry, we cannot ignore some hidden concerns and dilemmas behind it.
Pressure on investment and return
Hundreds of billions of yuan of R&D investment every year has undoubtedly brought huge financial pressure to Huawei. While these investments will eventually translate into technological innovation and product competitiveness, it is difficult to see significant economic returns in the short term. This will inevitably increase the pressure on Huawei's operations.
More importantly, in the context of US sanctions, Huawei's business situation is not optimistic. This means that even if R&D investment yields fruitful results, it will face significant obstacles to its eventual commercialization due to market rejection. This is undoubtedly a major concern for Huawei's long-term development.
The challenge of talent training and echelon construction
To support such large-scale R&D investment, Huawei must have a high-quality R&D team. But in fact, this is not an easy task in the current environment. On the one hand, Huawei is facing the pressure of brain drain from the United States and other countries. On the other hand, there are also many obstacles to the cultivation and introduction of domestic high-end talents.
If the R&D team is not well built, Huawei's technological innovation will inevitably be constrained, which will affect its future development prospects. Therefore, talent training and echelon building are also a major challenge for Huawei.
The dilemma of the bottleneck of key technologies
Although Huawei has achieved leading positions in many fields, it is still controlled by others in some key core technologies and faces the dilemma of "stuck neck".
Taking chips as an example, even though Huawei has launched its self-developed Kirin chips, it still relies on the supply of countries such as the United States for advanced manufacturing processes and some key components. This undoubtedly increases its uncertainty in terms of technology and supply.
Similarly, in the field of operating systems, although Huawei has launched its self-developed HarmonyOS system, it still needs long-term technology accumulation and ecological cultivation to truly replace Android and iOS. This is undoubtedly a huge challenge for Huawei.
Overall, although Huawei has made remarkable achievements in R&D investment, it still faces many difficulties in terms of investment and return, talent training, and key technology research. These concerns may become stumbling blocks on the road to its future development.
Looking to the future: Huawei's hope for R&D investment
Although Huawei's current R&D investment is facing many difficulties, we still see hope for its future development.
The driving force of continuous technological innovation
No matter what external challenges we face, Huawei has not given up on the pursuit of technological innovation. It has not only insisted on large-scale R&D investment, but also achieved independent breakthroughs in key areas such as chips and operating systems. This tenacious spirit of innovation is undoubtedly an important support for its future development.
Determination to aim for autonomy and control
Against the backdrop of sanctions, Huawei has become more aware of the importance of "autonomy and controllability". Guided by this strategic goal, it is accelerating the pace of research and development in core technology areas with a view to getting rid of dependence on external supply chains. This tenacious determination will surely become a powerful motivation for him to overcome difficulties.
The continuation of the driving effect of the industrial chain
Despite many challenges, Huawei's strong R&D capabilities and innovation momentum continue to drive the development of the entire industry chain. This driving effect will not only benefit Huawei's own future, but also benefit the entire domestic communications industry.
Guarantee of national strategic support
There is no doubt that Huawei's R&D investment is not only related to its own development, but also to national security and industrial competitiveness. In the face of suppression from the United States, the national level will provide stronger policy support and resource guarantees to ensure that Huawei can continue to maintain its technological innovation advantages.
In summary, despite the difficulties faced by Huawei's current R&D investment, its tenacious spirit of innovation, determination to achieve "independent and controllable" goals, and the country's strategic support will surely become the key to overcoming challenges and achieving future development. We have reason to believe that Huawei's R&D investment will ultimately benefit the entire industry and promote the country's independent innovation capabilities in key technology fields to a new level.