How will Huawei move to the future? When will 5G commercial come? How should Chinese companies seize the opportunities in the era of artificial intelligence? Xinhua News Agency reporters and Ren Zhengfei face each other.
Focus on the main channel: Network continues to streamline R&D investment
Reporter: In recent years, Huawei's investment in R&D expenses has accounted for about 15% of sales revenue. Which future innovation areas will Huawei invest in?
Ren Zhengfei: It is mainly basic research on the main channel, part of basic research and applied research on artificial intelligence. Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence are mainly algorithms, calculations and data. These are very difficult to break through. We follow the world's investment. Synchronize the development of the world.
In the area of artificial intelligence, we mainly do basic research to improve internal management. If we want to apply it to products, we still have quite a long time and distance. For frontier science, R&D implements the first 'open shot,' let bullets. Fly for a while'; seeing the clues and then 'playing a gun' can only be determined by small-scale research discussions; if the attack on the 'wall' requires the input of 'van Fritz ammo' (meaning the huge amount of ammunition invested at no cost Intensive bombing) by the collective decision of the management.
Reporter: 5G Commercial Acceleration. What is Huawei's layout on 5G?
Ren Zhengfei: Advance research in science and technology does not mean that social needs have already emerged. If social needs did not develop to the level we imagined, we would not have invested so much in meaning. Therefore, 5G may be overheated. I don’t think 5G is so big now. Market space, because the demand is not fully generated.
If unmanned driving requires 5G, how many cars can be drone now? In fact, ships, airplanes, etc. have already achieved pilotless driving, but if the pilot is not on the plane, would passengers dare to go on the plane? This is the reason. System Engineering There is not a problem that can be solved with a bell.
Reporter: Will Huawei be diversified? Has a new layout in the new economy?
Ren Zhengfei: We are talking about the pipeline, just the flow of traffic. The terminal is also the pipeline, it is equivalent to the 'faucet', and the enterprise business is also the pipeline. Our technical theoretical architecture model will implement the 'Moore's Law of Decreasing Cost Per Bit' and doing network The continuous simplification of the network. The result of continuous network simplification is that our sales revenue will continue to decrease, but the entire community will benefit. Huawei Huawei has been doing this for so many years. We are constantly declining and we need to do basic science. A larger study. But we will not do diversified business and will always focus on the main channel.
Rooted in basic research: Sooner or later, the house on the beach will collapse, and it will become a black earth in the northeast
Reporter: What are the shortcomings that need to be filled in technical research?
Ren Zhengfei: To engage in the manufacturing industry must be solid, rely on speculation, not to speculate on real estate, mathematics can not be 'fried' come out, it takes decades of effort. Artificial intelligence can not be built on the beach, this 'house' sooner or later will be Collapsed. The basic algorithm of artificial intelligence, computational power, data, At present, our first two studies are still weak, and light and strong data are not enough.
For example, 5G has two key technologies: long code and short code. Long code is a coding method written by a professor in the United States in 1964, and short code is a coding method written by a professor in Turkey in 2008. Around these two equations, for decades, Tens of thousands of people in companies follow research and become standards, and it's difficult to know how to do it.
Reporter: Many companies are doing cloud computing. How does Huawei make features?
Ren Zhengfei: In terms of cloud computing, Huawei does not have business content. We just do a basic platform. This basic platform is like the dark land in the northeast. Everyone can plant crops above it, 'soybeans' 'gaochun' and 'safe city' 'cars. '... In fact, Huawei cloud is a collection of ten million content. The transformation of 'land' is also very difficult. Until this year we couldn't say that we really did this platform. Transmission and switching are not platforms, but it is the foundation of the platform. Huawei Connected to more than 170 countries and regions in the world, more than 1 trillion U.S. dollars worth of online stock exchanges have been converted into platforms to allow all the 'crops' to grow. This is an ideal for us.
Self-innovation: 'The bird that burns is phoenix' makes itself more realistic
Reporter: The annual report shows that Huawei's performance in 2017 was very good. Why is there management accountability?
Ren Zhengfei: Actually, we didn't do well. Last year, our company had an event called 'Phoenix Burning Dead'. At that time, we had handled many senior management staff. Many people downgraded two levels. I was also one of the objects that I was punished. The rotating CEOs are all punished. Why? This is to warn us that company management is going to be more scientific.
Reporter: Will you worry that Huawei will have a big business today when it comes to the mass of today?
Ren Zhengfei: I think that we should be very serious in the big business. The purpose of the 2.0 version of the Human Resources Management Program is to criticize ourselves. How can we streamline our organization and improve efficiency? Senior management criticizes ourselves and we say that people once managed All of them are scientific management. How do they become mathematical management now? This is a rigid dogma. The institutions are too big and too heavy... The board members took the lead in shelling Huawei to promote the company’s alertness.
Of course, solving these problems is not an overnight event. It first shells and then a little reform. We can gradually reform and increase efficiency as long as we see the direction.
Reporter: In the past, when Huawei was mentioned, Huawei would say that it was a 'wolf culture'. Did you mention less in these years?
Ren Zhengfei: We will always be the wolf culture. Some people may understand the interpretation of the 'wolf'. It is not our original intention. First, the wolf is very sensitive and smells the opportunity to rush forward; Second, the wolf is always a group of people. The wolf struggles, not individual heroism. Third, it may be difficult to eat meat, but the wolf is indomitable. These three points are positive for the struggle.
Rooted in innovation, rooted in industry
Reporter: It is often heard of Huawei's 'relocation' rumors. How does Huawei plan for the next step?
Ren Zhengfei: We have never thought of relocating. Our headquarters is always in Shenzhen.
Reporter: Before you mentioned the relationship between enterprise reform and innovation, how should technological companies promote reform?
Ren Zhengfei: I believe that the country will be more open. First, through openness, so that more people can come in, companies can compete fairly in an international environment. Second, now, the economic development environment is very good, adhere to the rule of law, marketization The road can hold up the company's ideals and dreams. Today, we are doing a good job of protecting intellectual property rights. The better we do this, the more originality will be, and the innovation will be unlimited.