Huawei turns to pig farming as smartphone sales drop

Huawei is turning to technology for pig farmers as it handles tough penalties on its smartphones.

The Chinese telecommunications giant has been barred from accessing vital components after the Trump administration called it a threat to U.S. national security.

In response to struggling 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 US President Donald Trump has claimed Huawei can share customer data with the Chinese government, claims he has repeatedly denied.

As a result, the world’s largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment has limited itself to making 4G models because it does not have permission from the US 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 has also been barred from 5G development in a number of countries, including the UK, over national security concerns.

Reports have suggested it will cut its smartphone manufacturing by up to 60% this year, although it said it could not confirm that figure.

“The issue here is not as if there are any issues with our quality or our experience with Huawei products. It is not a level playing field for Huawei as Huawei is caught between geopolitical tensions,” said a spokesperson for the company on the BBC.

And so, Huawei appears to be looking for other sources of revenue – moving towards cloud computing services, smart vehicles, and wearable devices. He even has plans for a smart car.

But he also has an eye on a few more traditional industries.

Pig farming

China has the largest pig farming industry in the world and is home to half of the world’s live pigs.

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The technology is helping to modernize pig farms through the introduction of AI to detect disease and track pigs.

Facial recognition technology can identify pigs individually, while other technologies monitor their weight, diet and exercise.

Huawei has already developed facial recognition technology and was criticized last month for a system that identifies people who appear to be of Uyghur descent among images of pedestrians.

Other Chinese tech giants, including JD.com and Alibaba, are already working with pig farmers in China to bring new technology.

“Pig farming is another example of how we are trying to revitalize some traditional industries with ICT (information and communications technology) technologies to create more value for industries in the 5G era,” said added the spokesperson for Huawei.

Coal mining and data

Earlier this month, Huawei founder and managing director Ren Zhengfei announced the establishment of a mining innovation lab 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 allow miners to “wear suits and ties” to work.

Speaking at the event, Mr Ren said the company is also expanding into consumer products such as TVs, computers and tablets.

“We can still survive even without relying on phone sales,” Ren said, adding that the United States is highly unlikely to remove Huawei from a blacklist that prevents companies from working with the. Chinese technology company.