Huawei is turning to technology for pig farmers to deal with harsh sanctions against their smartphones.
The Chinese telecommunications giant was barred from accessing vital components after the Trump administration labeled it a threat to the United States’ national security.
In response to difficulties in smartphone sales, Huawei is looking for other sources of revenue for its technology.
Along with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology for pig farmers, Huawei is also working with the coal mining industry.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump said Huawei could share customer data with the Chinese government, claims it has repeatedly denied.
As a result, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer was limited to making 4G models, as it does not have permission from the U.S. government to import components for 5G models.
Huawei’s smartphone sales fell 42% in the last quarter of 2020 as it struggled with a limited supply of microchips due to sanctions.
Huawei was also prevented from developing 5G in several countries, including the United Kingdom, amid fears about national security.
Reports suggest it will reduce smartphone manufacturing by up to 60% this year, although it says it cannot confirm that figure.
“The issue here is not as if there were any problems with our quality or experiences with Huawei products. It is not an equal playing field for Huawei, as Huawei is caught between geopolitical tensions,” said a spokesman for company to the BBC.
And so, Huawei seems to be looking for other sources of revenue – moving on to cloud computing services, smart vehicles and wearable devices. You even have plans for a smart car.
But it is also eyeing some more traditional industries.
Raising pigs
China has the largest pig industry in the world and is home to half of the world’s live pigs.
The technology is helping to modernize pig farms with the introduction of AI to detect diseases and track pigs.
Facial recognition technology can identify pigs individually, while another technology monitors their weight, diet and exercise.
Huawei has already been developing facial recognition technology and faced criticism last month for a system that identifies people who appear to be of Uighur origin among pedestrian images.
Other Chinese tech giants, including JD.com and Alibaba, are already working with pig farmers in China to bring in new technologies.
“Pig farming is yet another example of how we try to revitalize some traditional industries with ICT (Information and Communication Technology) technologies to create more value for industries in the 5G era,” added a Huawei spokesman.
Coal mining and data
Earlier this month, Huawei’s founder and chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, announced a mining innovation laboratory in northern China’s Shanxi province.
He wants to develop technology for coal mines that will lead to “fewer workers, greater safety and greater efficiency” and will allow coal miners to “wear a suit and tie” at work.
During a roundtable at the event, Ren said the company is also expanding into consumer products, such as televisions, computers and tablets.
“We can still survive even without relying on phone sales,” said Ren, adding that the United States is very unlikely to remove Huawei from a black list that prevents companies from working with the Chinese technology company.