Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 8 -
Problem: build a strong domestic software of the "root" - dialogue Huawei Hong Meng Wang, head of record
Xinhua News Agency reporters Chen Fang and Dong Ruifeng
Since Huawei released the Hongmeng operating system, it has been attracting attention from the outside world.
Is it an emergency under heavy pressure, or is it aimed at a new track layout?
Is it to be the "shadow" of the original software, or to take on the new mission of industry traction?
"Building a house on someone else's wall, no matter how big and beautiful it is, it can't stand up to wind and rain."
A reporter from Xinhua News Agency interviewed Wang Chenglu, head of Huawei Hongmeng, on "changing lanes and overtaking", on "counter-cyclical innovation", and looking forward to the autonomous "root" of China's next-generation mobile Internet industry.
Change the track: build an operating system for "Internet of Everything"
For mobile phone users who are accustomed to using Android or iOS operating systems, what exactly is Hongmeng?
"The era of personal computers uses Windows (Microsoft), and the era of smartphones uses iOS (Apple) and Android (Google)." Wang Chenglu said, "Hongmeng is an operating system for the Internet of Everything era."
Use a set of operating system to connect all kinds of hardware, including mobile phones, from the bottom layer, as if they are integrated into one device-from mobile phones, watches to home appliances, cars, from smart office, smart travel to smart home, smart There will be barrier-free connectivity between factories and "islands" of equipment, and people can manipulate them more "fools".
"We are not making a substitute for Android or iOS." In Wang Chenglu's view, if there is no essential difference, it is difficult to establish a new ecological chain; the key to the success of a new system is to seize the opportunity of industrial transformation.
"The rapid development of the Internet of Things will bring about a period of industrial transformation in the next 10 years. This will be a historic opportunity for independent operating systems."
"We must let the ecology grow on our own foundation." Wang Chenglu said.
Zhujiji: To be the core carrier of China's industrial upgrading
An important part of the foundation is the operating system.
Not only the information industry, but many other industries also depend on this.
With the help of a software operating system, the traditional manufacturing industry can more easily produce smart hardware, which greatly reduces the threshold for "intelligent manufacturing".
Once the intelligent applications of the Internet of Everything can be opened up, it will bring huge performance improvements to all walks of life.
"We are at a critical moment of large-scale industrial transformation and upgrading. What is the core technology of the next-generation industry? This is a common challenge facing the world. Whether we can seize the historical opportunity of industrial transformation and not be eliminated by the times, the key lies in our own Are you ready?" Wang Chenglu said.
In the eyes of many people, my country has a relatively complete industrial chain such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and 5G technology, coupled with a relatively complete industrial manufacturing system, which has prepared a good precondition and external environment for industrial upgrading.
In 2021, Hongmeng's equipment installation target exceeds 300 million units, and it plans to expand from smart phones, PADs, etc. to all scenarios.
"Can it help the home appliance industry, steel industry, machinery manufacturing industry, etc., to achieve transformation and upgrading efficiently? The operating system must carry the mission and be the core carrier of industrial upgrading." Wang Chenglu said.
Educate talents: build the "root" ability of domestic software
From chips to operating systems, from "using" computers to "building" computers, more and more research and development forces are devoting themselves to basic technologies.
Without "roots", no industry can flourish.
But the road ahead is difficult.
It is difficult to find high-end talents, which is a common challenge.
For example, a compiler can be regarded as a dictionary between a program written by a programmer in a high-level language and a machine language. It can be called the "jewel in the crown" of the software field. It is extremely difficult and has a long development cycle.
Relevant R&D talents are difficult to find in China, so they need to be recruited globally and cultivated by themselves.
"There are tens of millions of employees in the domestic computer industry, and more than one million students in related majors graduate each year, but we rarely do basic software technology by ourselves." Wang Chenglu said, "The operating system we hope to build will become the Internet of Everything in the future. The "root" of the world's basic software can also precipitate a group of basic software talents in China."
Retrograde: The harder the more difficult, the more courageous and innovative
The heavy pressure from uncontrollable foreign forces and the fleeting time window of industrial transformation have made Hongmeng experiencing a lasting battle.
"We have no chance of trial and error." Wang Chenglu said frankly that in addition to a thorough understanding of all operating system technologies, it is also necessary to attract domestic and foreign industry chain partners to participate in the construction of the ecological chain.
According to data released by Huawei, sales revenue in 2020 is 891.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%; R&D investment is 141.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.8%.
In the past 10 years, Huawei has invested more than 720 billion yuan in R&D, and its R&D investment ranks among the forefront of global companies.
In the next five years, R&D investment is expected to exceed 650 billion yuan.
"The harder the time, the more we must insist on investing in research and development." Wang Chenglu said.
The Consumer Software Department, which Wang Chenglu is in charge of, has an annual R&D budget of 3 billion to 4 billion yuan.
"Innovation has always been a life of nine deaths, and ecological construction is also a process from quantitative change to qualitative change. We must move forward bravely." Wang Chenglu said.