Huawei announces $81m investment in Southeast Asia

BANGKOK - China's ICT giant Huawei announced an investment of $81 million in Southeast Asia in three years on the 4th Annual Huawei Asia-Pacific Innovation Day held here on Wednesday.

Huawei Technologies (Thailand) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thailand's National Science and Technology Development Agency and National Innovation Agency, outlining a series of joint research and innovation objectives, including developing deeper technological insights to advance the Thailand 4.0 agenda, strengthening communications and coordination throughout the innovation and planning processes, and fostering a startup-friendly ecosystem in Thailand.

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and Huawei Rotating Chairman Guo Ping witnessed the signing of the MoU.

Later on Wednesday, James Wu, president of Huawei's Southeast Asia Region, unveiled Huawei's Developer Enablement Plan for the region, which aims to support digital economy and ecosystem building.

According to Wu, Huawei will invest $81 million over the next three years in building OpenLabs, enabling cloud developers, and cultivating ICT talent in the Southeast Asia region.

Huawei will also open an OpenLab in Delhi in August this year, which, along with the one in Bangkok, will serve as open innovation platforms where Huawei joins forces with local partners to develop industry solutions for the region.

Nearly 300 attendees from government, industry, and academia gathered at the 4th Huawei Asia-Pacific Innovation Day to explore how digital infrastructure accelerates the growth of digital economy, enriches life, drives innovation, and helps cultivate an ecosystem of shared success.

In his speech, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid spoke highly of Huawei's contribution to the kingdom's digital transformation in the past three years.