Shunned in the US, Huawei looks to Russia to invent an AI future
- As research relations sour with American universities, China’s tech giant finds willing partners in institutes keen to monetise their technical skills
- Collaboration offers Huawei added strengthen in areas such as mathematics and gives Russian laboratories access to marketing expertise
Partnerships were cancelled, cheques refused and moratoriums put on new contracts after US officials raised the alarm about potential national security concerns and federal investigations into intellectual property theft and sanctions violations.
The universities’ actions were in response to claims from US lawmakers and officials that the company’s products could expose networks to Chinese spying or disruption.
But just as these American partnerships were ending, Huawei representatives were at work on the other side of the world, expanding company ties with researchers and universities in a country closer to home.
In Russia, where building science and technology partnerships with China is a new top priority, Huawei has embarked on a flurry of campus visits, grant offers and joint agreements to work with institutes of higher education.
The company wants to enlist universities for research in areas ranging from artificial intelligence and data processing to optical technology and cloud networks, and is finding eager allies as the United States and China compete for future artificial intelligence and tech dominance.