The Fourth Industrial Revolution is here and it is characterised by extraordinary technology that will change the way we live and communicate. Amid this, the digital transformation of industries has become a core goal.
According to IDC's Worldwide Semiannual Digital Transformation Spending Guide in 2019, technology and service expenditure in the Asia Pacific region (excluding Japan) for the digital transformation of business practices, products, and organisations reached nearly US$380 billion. This expenditure is forecasted to grow steadily from 2019 to 2022, and a major driving force for this is the desire to leverage the advantages of operating within a digital economy.
Simply put, connectivity is productivity. In the connectivity field, Huawei proposes the concept of intelligent connectivity to build networks with ubiquitous gigabit, deterministic experience, and ultra-automation, to enable the intelligent upgrade of government and enterprise networks. Huawei's ubiquitous gigabit connections for intelligent interactive devices help meet real-time ultra-high-bandwidth and low-latency backhaul requirements, while AI is introduced to implement deterministic network experience and ultra-automated O&M. As for networks, Huawei provides network-level solutions such as campus, data centre, WAN, and security solutions for intelligent twins; and for industries, the combination of intelligent connectivity with intelligent interactions, hubs, and industry know-how to build scenario-specific, intelligent solutions. It is vital to create all-scenario intelligent connection solutions for industry intelligent twins.
Intelligent IP Network Solution Unleashes Digitalization in All Industries
Huawei leads the way by introducing big data, AI technologies, and new-generation protocols to data communication networks for data analysis and closed-loop optimisation, making a leap from traditional IP networks to intelligent IP networks. Huawei believes that intelligent IP networks have the following distinct features:
Ultra-broadband is the goal for intelligent IP networks. Currently, applications such as video, telecommuting, cloud computing, and AI drive another wave of network bandwidth growth. Campus networks are transforming towards Wi-Fi 6 and 100GE switches, and data centre networks and IP backbone networks are evolving towards 400GE.
Intelligent connectivity is the basis of the intelligent IP network architecture. Many uncertainties exist on the IP network, for example, uncertainty on the demand side. This uncertainty exists because the network layer does not fully understand the expectations (known as the service intent) of the service layer. To eliminate such uncertainties, service intent must be accurately perceived first. This can be achieved by having the service layer notify the network layer of the service requirements, or the network layer analyse the characteristics of the service layer.
Intelligent O&M is key to improving user experience. Conventional complaint-driven troubleshooting is challenging for network O&M, and this has given rise to predictive O&M as a viable solution. With predictive O&M, the network status is detected in real time to check whether a network issue has occurred or whether any potential network risks exist. If an issue or risk is identified, the root cause can be accurately located by matching the fault patterns, and then the fault can be automatically fixed. In this way, issues can be resolved before user experience is affected, safeguarding services.
Huawei CloudCampus Solution 2.0 in the Campus Network Field
The number of connected IoT terminals in enterprise campuses is expected to increase rapidly, cloud-based service traffic will surge, and data convergence will lead to complex network management. To cope with these challenges, Huawei CloudCampus 2.0 delivers compelling features including unified access, one-hop-to-cloud, and unified intelligent management in various campus network scenarios. This solution enables campus networks to evolve from manual to intelligent-driven, building a fully connected, intelligent campus.
Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) is one of Thailand's most prestigious universities. Huawei's cloud campus network and Agile Controller solution help SWU improve campus Wi-Fi coverage and enhance campus security, allowing professors and students to enjoy campus-wide Wi-Fi. Similarly, Huawei also deploys the Agile Campus Network Solution for University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia's most renowned university, providing students with extensive, paid, or free services that enhance their online learning and scientific research. With the help of this solution, students can enjoy better learning services onsite or online.
Huawei CloudFabric Solution 2.0 in the Data Center Network Field
This solution improves network intelligence as the root causes of faults are analysed based on a knowledge graph, boosting the fault detection rate to 98%. The solution leverages an open architecture to connect to multiple clouds, achieving compatibility with devices from multiple vendors, reducing OPEX by 28% and accelerating the evolution of the finance industry to Bank 4.0. The high-density 400GE and intelligent lossless network delivers zero packet loss and low latency, eliminating computing and storage network performance bottlenecks while improving computing power by 27% and data storage IOPS by more than 30%. These features unleash efficient computing power and data storage, powering the digital transformation of enterprises.
In Indonesia, Huawei helped Semen build an SDN-based data centre network to ensure data security, reliability, and continuity. In Hong Kong, Huawei provided Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC, Asia) with a number of cutting-edge solutions, such as the Digital Multimedia Banking Solution, Safe Financial Cloud Solution, and CloudFabric Cloud Data Center Network Solution. These solutions focus on security and agility to improve the customer experience of cross-border financing and help ICBC build a strong neural network system. As a result, ICBC achieved refined security management (by user, region, and resource), security authentication and verification, as well as sliced data transmission and storage.
All-Optical Connection Is a Cornerstone for Enterprise Digitalization
The architecture of conventional networks must be upgraded in order to keep up with enterprise digitization and cloudification. Increasingly more industries are turning to optical connections for production and operation because of the clear advantages that optical technology brings (high bandwidth, low power consumption, and reliable transmission). As a leading developer of optical solutions, Huawei launched its Intelligent OptiX Network strategy and innovative "Three OptiXs" series products for the enterprise market to build ubiquitous optical connections and help diverse industries build an all-optical base for digital transformation. As we enter the era of fifth-generation fixed network (F5G), Huawei has proposed an all-optical strategy. This strategy aims to achieve high-bandwidth access that meets the needs of new services, such as 4K cameras, VR and AR (the Campus OptiX Solution), as well as meet multi-rate transmission requirements and boost efficiency (the Single OptiX Solution), and implement one-click service deployment and plug-and-play in enterprise scenarios (the DC OptiX Solution). Over the next five years, optical connections will expand from homes to rooms, offices to desktops, and factories to machines. Optical networks will also cover all data centres. This is set to stimulate the growth of fixed connections by hundreds of times and double the size of the global optical network market.
Taj Mahal Palace was founded in 1903 and is one of India's most iconic hotels. The hotel has now become a smart hotel with the help of Huawei's IP+POL solution, which has introduced a terminal and a fibre line to each guest room. Huawei also partnered with Companhia de Electricidade de Macau (CEM) to provide a reliable, scalable, and manageable power transmission network that lights up Macau – Asia's Las Vegas.
5G Empowers Industry Innovation
While 4G has changed lives, 5G is set to change society. 5G delivers high bandwidth, low latency, high reliability, and full, ubiquitous network connectivity, but in order to maximise its full potential in industries it needs to be tailored as this technology sets out on its path to empower industries, revolutionise consumer experience, and drive the growth of enterprise applications.
In smart airports, ubiquitous 5G high-speed connections smoothen passengers' journey experience thanks to facial recognition. The ultra-high rate and ultra-low latency of 5G make the possibility of unmanned baggage handling, shuttle buses, and tractors even more of a reality. In scenarios such as harbours, where remote control is necessary, Huawei introduces features such as pre-scheduling and mini-slot to achieve low latency (20 ms) and 90% automated remote crane control.
Huawei AI Serves as an Engine for Industry Upgrade
Huawei's full-stack all-scenario AI portfolio has a 4-layer architecture: Ascend, CANN, Mindspore, and application enabler. Ascend is a series of AI IPs and chips based on a unified and scalable architecture, and it is the basic layer of a comprehensive stack solution, aiming to provide optimal performance at the lowest cost in any scenario. As the world's first all-scenario AI IP and chip, the Ascend series delivers the best energy-efficiency ratio in all scenarios, regardless of whether power consumption is extremely low or computing power is extremely high.
Huawei believes that the AI framework should be a unified device-edge-cloud training and inference framework that can be used anywhere, independently or collectively. Should collaboration occur between the device and cloud, between the edge and cloud, or between the device and edge, consistent development experience is required. Huawei's native, full-stack, and all-scenario AI solution is ready to provide AI support for every person, home and organisation.
Summary
Over the past 120 years, the Industrial Revolution, Power Revolution, and Information Technology Revolution embodied three major breakthroughs in our society, resulting in unprecedented productivity. Today, we are embracing new opportunities. As our lives undergo profound change, ICT technologies will help ensure Asia-Pacific enterprises continue to operate in a stable and secure manner. The Fourth Industrial Revolution driven by AI technologies is leading us towards a new era where all things will be sensing, connected, and intelligent. As this era dawns upon us, Huawei stands tall in its commitment to bring digital to every person, home, and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world.