Huawei's Ren Zhengfei: AI's rise unstoppable, Huawei is still struggling for survival amid U.S. restrictions

A latest speech of Huawei's boss on AI, chip restriction and many

On October 14, Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei met with the ICPC (International Collegiate Programming Contest) chairman, coaches, and winning contestants.

During the meeting, Ren responded to questions from contestants from various countries, addressing the unique characteristics of each nation and sharing his views on AI and youth entrepreneurship.

Ren emphasized that while the world may be filled with conflict, theory remains open, and scientific research knows no borders; only engineering and technology are constrained by borders, as companies may choose not to disclose developments in these areas.

On AI, Ren stated that the global trend toward AI is unstoppable. Advances in chips, computing power, and other technologies are driving the arrival of the intelligent era, marking a turning point similar to Britain’s invention of the train, textile machinery, and steamships. Today, that turning point is the application of AI.

Regarding Huawei’s future, Ren maintains a strong sense of crisis. He candidly remarked, “Even now, we can’t say we’ve secured survival. Ninety-nine percent of Chinese companies can collaborate with the U.S.; they haven’t faced sanctions, their computing power is higher than ours, and they have access to superior technology. Under these conditions, can we survive in the coming years? Don’t mistake today’s gathering for evidence of a grand vision—we are still struggling."

Here is the full transcript of Ren’s remarks:

Host: Welcome to the Chairman of the ICPC Foundation, all the coaches and students, as well as experts and leaders present here. This is our second forum here; last year, we held the ICPC Huawei Champion Cup Challenge, and this year is the second edition. Before the competition, we have this great opportunity to hold a forum for free exchange and discussion.

Ren Zhengfei: Thank you to all the coaches and contestants for visiting Huawei; we are very honored to host you today. I don't know much about the specifics of the competition, but please feel free to ask questions, and I'll do my best to answer.

Question: Hello, Mr. Ren. We had a very enjoyable conversation when we met last year, and I realized we share the idea that young people should come together to shine and inspire each other. You mentioned then that you hoped we could meet and have discussions with students from different parts of China and the world. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to talk with everyone. Today, I don't have any specific questions; I'd mainly like to hear your opinions and insights about our community.

Ren Zhengfei: Thank you all for coming today. You are like "seeds" who can take back the content of our exchange to your countries, where it can take root, sprout, blossom, and bear fruit. Together, we can promote the development and prosperity of human society.

Question: It's a rare opportunity to meet you. Everyone here is familiar with the format of our challenge; many of our contestants have been participating in this event for three to five years. May I ask, what is the greatest challenge humanity faces today? If Huawei or the ICPC can help, what contributions can we make, and what major challenges can we work together to solve?

Ren Zhengfei: The ICPC competition helps promote cultural, scientific, and technological exchanges between different countries. I want to thank Nika for having a cup of coffee with me by the Moskva River seven or eight years ago. At that time, I didn't know that this young lady was a leader in the ICPC. Since then, I've come to know the ICPC and began strengthening our connection, leading to in-depth cooperation in recent years. Before that, I wasn't aware of the ICPC; I only knew that Russia had many world champions in computer programming.

From the perspective of the current development of the world and the common challenges facing humanity, the rapid development of artificial intelligence benefits society but also creates pressure. Nations require employment, and enterprises seek development—there's a contradiction here, but it's a societal issue, not something we need to worry about. Our concern as a company is how to use technology to promote social progress; balancing society is a problem for governments to solve. Throughout human development, every advancement comes with challenges. For example, when textile machinery was invented in the UK, textile workers wanted to destroy those machines, but that didn't stop social progress. Today, much of the high-quality fabric we wear is still produced in the UK, which remains a base for precision textiles. As technical experts, we can't solve social problems; we can promote technological progress and create more wealth, but how society distributes it is a matter for governments.

Question: I'm from Romania. Our country's development in the digital world isn't that advanced yet. I'd like to learn about Huawei's story, such as key moments when you had to make important decisions. Could you share some stories with us?

Ren Zhengfei: Romania is a beautiful country; your delta wetlands at the river mouth are a paradise. Scientifically and technologically, it's also a great nation. Our English-language technical center is based in Romania. For example, in some remote villages around the world, when a base station engineer is installing equipment, he can wear smart glasses to see where cables should be connected and which wires go where. After the base station is set up, he takes a photo next to it and sends it to the technical center in Romania. Experts there automatically check the image to see if the connections are correct. If everything is properly installed, they can load the software, and the base station equipment becomes operational in a remote location thousands of kilometers away. The on-site engineer's information is recorded for future equipment maintenance.

Our Spanish-language technical center is in Mexico, and our Arabic-language center is in Egypt. We use global services to solve communication problems with customers in different countries, rather than establishing a local center in each country, which would be very costly. Thanks to advances in telecommunications and intelligent technologies, we can determine whether equipment is correctly installed without going on-site; we can see remotely from thousands of kilometers away.

Question: I'm also from Romania. I know Huawei has many research centers worldwide where people speak different languages. Do you think language is a barrier that prevents efficient communication and information sharing among Huawei's employees in different places? How does Huawei solve this language barrier?

Ren Zhengfei: They might use their local languages when drinking coffee, but in their work, everyone uses English—including Russian, Arabic, African, and Chinese employees—they all speak English. So, we have only one standard language in our work: English. Everyone's English is excellent, except mine.

Question: I'm from France. As the younger generation, we need to constantly push the frontiers of technology; what we're doing now might have already been realized. How can we continue to advance the research frontier? Huawei has made significant contributions in this area. I'd like to hear your views on promoting technological frontiers.

Ren Zhengfei: First, during Napoleon's era, France established itself as a nation built on mathematics, so French mathematics is very strong. We have two mathematics research institutes in France: one studies photography, which mainly involves mathematics, not just physics; the other is the Lagrange Mathematics Center, where some Fields Medal winners work or collaborate. They research mathematical problems that may arise in computing over the next 10–20 years, rather than focusing on immediate issues. France is a very forward-thinking country.

Second, as you can see, Huawei's products are very beautiful. Who gave them such attractive appearances? Our aesthetics research institutes in France and Italy also participated in this work. Over 20 years ago, we established this aesthetics institute in France. Today, everyone can see that our products are aesthetically pleasing; some of these products were designed in France, which has a deep understanding of luxury goods. Additionally, we set up an aesthetics institute in Italy. Actually, the one in France should be called an art institute. Aesthetics is a philosophy; the Italian institute studies the philosophy of beauty, human factors engineering, and marketing psychology. They research key factors in user experience and how people's minds work to design products that the public will accept. We don't just mechanically manufacture a product; we design it through research and deduction in psychology and aesthetics, and then realize it through mathematics, physics, electronics, etc., to create good products that meet market needs and contribute to the world.

Regarding forward-looking issues, challenges arise from the industrial revolution to the intelligent revolution. The main philosophy during the industrial revolution was metaphysics and mechanical materialism, producing many theorems and formulas that enabled Europe, Japan, and others to create excellent engineering machinery serving the world. Entering the information world requires higher philosophical levels to study the realization of the world. I don't understand artificial intelligence; Yuval Harari says it will produce a soul—his books are too advanced, talking about things two thousand years from now, perhaps suggesting that AI will develop a wise soul. If AI can recreate itself, what will happen to humanity? How far can the frontier go? I don't know. But I believe that in the next 30 years, it won't happen; we still need humans to create this world, just with fewer people involved.

Question: I'm from Peking University and have two questions. First, what reforms do you think should be made to the current education system for the next generation? Second, we have a concern: all the students here today are the best, and we wonder whether educating the best students even better might cause students in remote or underdeveloped areas to fall further behind. How should we achieve this balance? How can education develop evenly?

Ren Zhengfei: I believe children must be happy and energetic, discovering their potential in joy. The education system should be more tolerant of children, allowing appropriate differences. With advanced networks now, rural areas can receive education through online platforms, bridging the knowledge gap—they can also learn about the most advanced developments in the world. With advanced computing tools available, much knowledge can be looked up; children mainly need to learn methodologies. Students should be happy and mentally comfortable for society to be peaceful.

I support electronic exams that can be taken anywhere in the world. You can use computers or other tools to help solve problems. Learning ability can be assessed through interviews, which can also be conducted electronically. Currently, we emphasize past methods, rote memorization, consuming a lot of children's energy to remember things that don't need memorizing—these can be easily found online. Someone told me yesterday that nowadays, some kids around 10 years old use ChatGPT in one hand and Doubao in the other, using two AI models to discuss a problem, essentially debating with themselves. Isn't it possible that such kids could become future geniuses?

Our society should allow all kinds of children to grow up happily. Every child should choose at least one hobby in music, dance, sports, etc.—wouldn't that be great? Education must enable children to possess a happy spirit; happiness isn't centered on money. The vast majority of people are happy at work, not comparing wealth and causing themselves stress. Such an education system can gradually harmonize society, reduce conflicts, and make the world better. These are my simple thoughts.

Question: First of all, thank you very much for your guidance; you are a good role model. How can we help students develop themselves in this process to become future leaders? Huawei was originally a local Chinese company and later became a global leader, operating in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. How do you develop talent? You have over 200,000 employees who speak different languages. Do you have any programs or technologies to help them—for example, classifying them to cultivate different technical combinations? There are many talents here today who are getting to know each other and building social connections. I'd like to understand Huawei's secret in talent cultivation and how you help young talents like us become the pillars of the next generation through such projects.

Ren Zhengfei: We established so many competence centers and research institutes worldwide through 20 to 30 years of exploration. Einstein developed the theory of relativity in his twenties, and it took over a hundred years to prove it correct. When Einstein was at Princeton University, he longed to have coffee with others because he was too lonely; he couldn't keep creating endlessly, filling his life with formulas. When he had coffee with others, he couldn't understand what they were saying because he didn't understand society—just like today when we have coffee with young people, we might not understand what they're talking about because they're a new generation with different expressions. Similarly, others didn't know what this great man meant by the "gravitational field"; they couldn't understand each other, but at least they had coffee together, which solved Einstein's loneliness. It took us 20 to 30 years of exploration to understand the world.

We don't understand the language of Fields Medal mathematicians either. When I communicated with them in Paris, I had an interpreter—not an English translator but a technical one. Even with technical experts explaining, I couldn't fully grasp the mathematical problems the professor discussed or what relation those graphs had to the future. But we allow them to "talk nonsense" and continue to provide funding. If one day we find that their "nonsense" actually makes sense, it can drive reform in our products. The things the new generation says and does might have been incomprehensible to us before, but we gradually come to understand. It's like listening to a fairy tale—we don't know what it's about at first, but gradually, through practice, we come to understand. Then we slowly integrate these insights—a process that requires a considerable amount of time for mutual understanding, rather than any secret method.

Question: Hello, Mr. Ren. I'm curious about what it's like to start a company—is it fun? If young people want to start a business, what advice would you give them?

Ren Zhengfei: If, when I was demobilized from the army, they had given me a small official position, perhaps I wouldn't have started a business. Entrepreneurship isn't fun; it's done out of necessity. Starting a business is about solving the problem of feeding your family. If your wife and kids have nothing to eat, entrepreneurship isn't fun. Back then, we suffered a lot and couldn't make money; there was no way out. So starting a business wasn't for happiness.

If young people want to start a business, they must be unwavering in pursuing their ideals, even if they end up as beggars. The founder of ByteDance also faced great difficulties at the beginning—trying one thing here and another there, walking a long time without finding a path, almost falling into a very tough situation. But eventually, ByteDance became one of the greatest companies in the world. So entrepreneurship isn't fun; you start a business when there's no other way.

Question: Hello, I'm from Sweden. I'd like to know your views on AI in the future. Will it serve as a tool to replace human jobs, giving people more time to enjoy life?

Ren Zhengfei: The global trend toward artificial intelligence is unstoppable. Advances in chips, computing power, and various technologies are promoting the arrival of the intelligent era, much like the UK's inventions of trains, textile machinery, and ships marked a turning point in history. Today's turning point is the application of artificial intelligence. If you have the opportunity to visit China's Tianjin Port, you'll see that from loading ships, transportation, stacking, to customs clearance, in an area of over a hundred square kilometers, there's hardly anyone around. Steelmaking used to be tough, with intense heat; now there's no one in front of the blast furnaces or rolling mills. Previously, samples of molten steel had to be taken to test composition; now, wearing special glasses can determine if the steel is qualified. As for coal mining, it's now possible to use AI to mine coal hundreds of meters underground.

This era will certainly reduce the demand for human labor, but the total wealth created increases, allowing us to support those who are laid off. Those who are laid off do less work and earn less money; those who work earn more. The total social value increases due to technological progress, not decreases. Only when total wealth increases can any country achieve a reasonable distribution of social wealth—this is a societal issue; we're discussing technical issues.

Question: Hello, Mr. Ren. I'm from Tsinghua University. Earlier, you mentioned the influence of life pressures during your entrepreneurship. Along the way, perhaps many mysterious cosmic energies guided you to different places. Huawei, as a whole, has faced some real-world limitations. I'm particularly curious: in an ideal world where you could freely do anything you want, what would you most like to do? What is your ideal state of life, and in what situation are you happiest?

Ren Zhengfei: I envy you—you've never experienced hunger and don't know what it feels like. When we were young, we experienced hunger; back then, the dream of a lifetime was to eat a steamed bun. For you, wanting to eat a bun for dinner now is easily achievable; in our time, it wasn't.

When I started my business, it was also a turning point in the era—China was transitioning from a planned economy to a market economy. We were demobilized from the army and became civilians; we didn't understand anything—how to make money, even working was difficult, as working is also part of a market economy. We thought the market economy had many opportunities. I started the business not because I had some grand ideal, but to survive and have food to eat. Back then, we were compelled by life, with no regrets and no retreat—we could only move forward and couldn't talk about dreams.

Even today, we can't say we've survived. Ninety-nine percent of Chinese companies can cooperate with the U.S.; they haven't been sanctioned, their chips have more computing power than ours, and they can buy better things than we can. Under such conditions, can we survive in the coming years? Don't think that because we're happily gathered here today, we have great dreams—we're still struggling. Our internal talks are not on the same level as chatting with you; internally, we're still discussing how to overcome many difficulties.

I admire you greatly. Why? Think about it—when we were young, we didn't even dream of getting into Tsinghua University; how could we dare to dream of Tsinghua? Coming from our remote mountain village, getting into any university was a great achievement; how could we think of attending Tsinghua or Peking University? It was simply impossible. You have such good conditions and will shoulder the mission of creating a new destiny for humanity; you have a huge window of opportunity. You must fulfill your social responsibility, love society, and contribute to it. A beautiful society is created together; you can't just be happy by putting money in your own pocket. I envy you young people studying at such excellent universities.