Huawei to ramp up tech investment in support of Thailand 4.0
Abel Deng, chief executive of Huawei Technologies Thailand
Global tech powerhouse Huawei Technologies has vowed to deepen its investment in 5G, cloud and data centres, digital power and talent development to support Thailand 4.0 initiative.
Thailand continues to take a leading role in 5G deployment in Asean, the company said.
“The pandemic accelerated the adoption of technology as businesses need digital transformation and continuity of operations. The pandemic doesn’t stop 5G rollout and usage,” Abel Deng, chief executive of Huawei Technologies Thailand, said during a virtual meeting with the press.
He said every crisis delivers both dangers and opportunities.
“For a technology provider, this creates opportunity,” Mr Deng said. “Digital transformation could help push up economic recovery. By 2030, the digital economy is expected to account for 30% of GDP.”
The company is committed to powering Thailand as a digital hub and a carbon neutral leader in Asean.
Huawei has a clear mission to drive four key tasks to support Thailand’s technology development, according to Mr Deng.
The first lies in 5G technology. The company has invested 475 million baht in the 5G Ecosystem Innovation Centre (5G EIC), located in the office of the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa).
Huawei aims to work with 70 partners and develop 20 industrial use cases powered by 5G.
It aims to push Thailand to become an Asean 5G country, in line with Thailand’s role as a host of the 2022 Apec summit.
“Now Thailand has almost 2 million 5G subscribers and the adoption is expected to rise to 16% the population soon,” Mr Deng said.
One of the 5G use cases is in the healthcare sector, such as the smart hospital model at Siriraj Hospital.
The second focus involves cloud and data centre business. Huawei invested 700 million baht in the third data centre in Thailand, which is set to operate next month.
For cloud business, the company has created 200 job opportunities in its cloud team and 5,000 indirect jobs with partners.
Huawei’s cloud business now ranks third in the country’s public cloud market after almost two years of operation.
The third investment will be in the digital power business.
Digital power comprises technology that serves green energy. Its Prefabricated Modular Data Center, Smart PV and Site Power Facility business have become successful.
Huawei aims to double revenue from digital power to US$10 billion globally this year.
“We will be able to support Thailand becoming Asean’s carbon neutral leader,” said Mr Deng.
The fourth mission is to support talent development in digital skill. Huawei set up Huawei Asean Academy in 2019 with 180 million baht to empower Thailand’s digital talent development.
Jay Chen, vice-president of Huawei Asia Pacific, said Thailand is one of Asean’s leaders integrating 5G technologies in agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing and building a digital ecosystem.
Furthermore, Thailand has shown rapid progress in cultivating digital talent.
Huawei Asean Academy aims to train over 300,000 locals in total, with nearly one third of contributions coming from Thailand, he said.
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