Huawei Technologies has recently finished constructing its 10-billion-yuan (US$1.4 billion) research and development (R&D) center in Shanghai. The new campus, named Lianqiu Lake R&D Centre, is located in Jinze, a town in Shanghai’s Qingpu district. The campus consists of eight blocks and 104 buildings, which house laboratories, offices, and leisure areas. The center offers attractive perks such as over 100 cafes on campus, with the hope of attracting foreign scientists. The completion of this R&D center marks a significant milestone for Huawei in its pursuit of technological advancements.
According to a report from Jiefang Daily last Thursday, while some bridge construction and greening projects are still being finalized, the development of signage, district roads, and train service for the Lianqiu Lake campus has been completed.
Huawei has not yet responded to a request for comment as of Monday.
At a government press conference in January, Qingpu district head Yang Xiaojing stated that around 30,000 R&D personnel are expected to move into Huawei’s new Shanghai campus to focus on semiconductors, wireless networks, and the Internet of Things.
Previously announced by the local government, Huawei’s Lianqiu Lake campus, covering an area of 160 hectares, will serve as its global R&D hub and is set to commence operations this year.
In an internal meeting in 2021, which was later made public by Huawei, Ren expressed the company’s aim to create an atmosphere suitable for foreign scientists to work and live in.
Huawei Technologies, a company blacklisted by the US, is making significant efforts to expand its domestic research and development infrastructure in order to overcome the tech sanctions imposed by Washington. The restrictions imposed in October 2022 have put American executives working in targeted Chinese chip companies in a difficult position, as they are prohibited from providing support to these businesses.
The US Department of Commerce has implemented rules that impose restrictions on the involvement of US individuals in supporting the development or production of chips at certain semiconductor fabrication facilities in China without a license. Although employment is not explicitly mentioned, these rules have implications for job opportunities in this sector.
Last August, Huawei, a privately-held company, made a surprising comeback in the 5G smartphone market by launching a handset powered by a 7-nanometer processor. This breakthrough was highly praised in China but drew scrutiny from Washington due to existing restrictions on technology access.
According to Huawei’s annual report, the company invested 23% of its total revenue, equivalent to 164.7 billion yuan, in various research and development (R&D) initiatives last year. Approximately 114,000 employees, accounting for 55% of Huawei’s workforce, are engaged in R&D activities.
According to a recent Reuters report, the Biden administration has revoked eight licenses that allowed certain US companies to ship goods to Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications network equipment vendor.
Despite this, Huawei remains optimistic about breaking the dominance of Western mobile operating systems in mainland China with the upcoming release of HarmonyOS Next, which will no longer support Android apps. In fact, in the first quarter, Huawei surpassed Samsung Electronics to become the bestselling foldable smartphone brand globally.
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