Despite the difficulties, the company has repeatedly announced that it will return to the leading position in the mobile market. "Huawei will continue to exist in the mobile phone sector," Huawei Chairman Guo Ping said in a meeting with employees in mid-August. "I expect, as chip production capacity increases, Huawei will return to the throne in the smartphone market."
During the meeting with employees, Nham Chinh Phi also said that HiSilicon, a company specializing in the production of semiconductor components for Huawei, is still a top priority. It has invested in more than 20 chip-related companies in the battle for survival in this segment and will continue to do so in the future.
"We allow HiSilicon to climb to the top of the Himalayas, while the other areas are responsible for growing potatoes and cattle, providing food for climbers," said Mr. Nham.
HiSilicon is currently responsible for designing Huawei's smartphone processors and components for 5G base stations. However, when it was banned by the US, the company could no longer produce top products and had to use lower technology. Last year, Huawei even considered "killing" the mobile chip business due to supply difficulties.
The Huawei founder emphasized that he continues to develop the 5G and artificial intelligence businesses, and strives to secure a leading position in the future 6G network.
"Huawei will work on 6G as quickly as possible and the goal is to take the lead in owning the patent on this network," he said. "We're not going to wait until 6G is viable, we're going to have to go ahead through patents."
Huawei is currently the world's largest supplier of 5G infrastructure equipment and holds the largest number of required standard patents (SEPs) for 5G technology. 6th generation mobile networks (6G) are still in their infancy. However, the technology holds promise for opening the door to applications using super-high-speed Internet, including in the fields of space research and Earth science. China prioritizes 6G as one of the important research technologies, and the US and Japan are also pouring money into 6G development after lagging behind in 5G.
According to SCMP's assessment, Nham Chinh Phi's speech shows that the company seems to have accepted the difficulties after the US ban and wants to find a new direction. The company just had its worst quarter in a decade, falling 29.4 percent year-on-year to 320 billion yuan ($49 billion).