Huawei invests in partner ecosystem, introduces Virtual AI Academy

Source: Huawei. Huawei has announced a new Virtual AI Academy.

Huawei has called for closer collaboration with its local partners to boost joint solution innovation as Singapore moves into post-COVID-19 economic recovery at the inaugural online Huawei Ecosystem Summit 2020. 

The summit also mapped Huawei’s vision and strategy in Singapore for working with its ecosystem partners as the nation recovers from COVID-19. In his opening address at the summit Nicholas Ma, CEO of Huawei International, said Singapore partners have helped 2019 enterprise revenue at Huawei Singapore increase by 20% year-on-year, with a 68% increase in total certifications obtained by business partners.

Huawei will invest S$5 million this year in Singapore to strengthen joint solution innovation with local partners and nurture the ecosystem. Huawei will continue to focus on ICT technologies, expanding and strengthening of the connectivity and computing businesses by providing artificial intelligence (AI) enablement across a variety of industries, with a focus on four core industries of government, finance, transportation and Internet service providers.

“Organisations will need to redesign their services to adapt to the new normal. Digital technology powered by 5G, cloud and AI will be pivotal in this transformation,” said Aaron Wang, MD of Huawei Singapore Enterprise Business Group.

“Under Huawei’s AI strategy, we will focus on connectivity and computing in Singapore by building an open ecosystem with our partners as we believe it will empower digital transformation for numerous industries, and help our ecosystem partners boost immunity eventually.”

Huawei established over 28,000 partnerships worldwide in 2019, with an annual growth rate of above 10% for the eighth consecutive year. Eighty-six percent of its Enterprise Business Group’s revenue was contributed with the cooperation of its partners.

The company further announced its new Virtual AI Academy at the summit. The facility will offer more than 140 free online courses to accelerate training and upskilling of Singapore ICT professionals and help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) digitalise.

Huawei said it has digitalised its 5G-powered AI Lab, which was launched in Singapore last year. Users will now be able to access the AI Lab’s applications easily via the cloud. Local SMEs will be eligible to access and explore industry-focused digital transformation solutions that are supported by Huawei. The AI Lab’s capabilities have been further enhanced through its integration with the Virtual AI Academy.

Huawei will offer Singaporeans free online training opportunities with over 140 sets of courses in artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, cloud computing and big data that will boost reskilling and upskilling. These courses are designed to train and certify all levels of users, from amateurs to ICT professionals.

Since the start of Singapore’s Circuit Breaker measures in April, Huawei has partnered with local firms to enroll over 300 local ICT professionals at its Virtual AI Academy for upskilling as a trial run. Following the official launch of the Academy, Huawei aims to certify 1,000 ICT engineers in Singapore by the end of 2021. In addition to online courses, the Academy also offers trainees hands-on experience through its simulation labs in AI development.

In the next quarter of 2020, Huawei plans to launch Cyber Range courses to equip SMEs and partners with necessary cybersecurity skills.

Prior to launching the Academy, Huawei had also been working with Nanyang Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and the Singapore University of Social Sciences to help next-generation talents hone their digital skills.

“COVID-19 has illustrated the importance of digital readiness which underscores the need for business continuity. Singapore, with talent as its critical asset and competitive advantage, will continue to be a core driver of digital transformation in the intelligent era,” said Ma.

“As a member of Singapore's society, Huawei has a responsibility to deepen the long lasting collaboration with local ecosystem partners in these times of crisis. With our 5G-powered AI Lab and the new Virtual AI Academy, we will continue to double our efforts to facilitate upskilling ICT talents as well as work with SME’s on digitalisation. We believe that these efforts will help the ecosystem, as well as open up new business opportunities and emerge stronger together.”

Huawei also introduced an Asia-Pacific Ascend Partner Program to grow Singapore’s development of AI industries at the summit.

Details:

View the list of courses at Huawei’s Virtual AI Academy