Huawei launches hybrid cloud to accelerate industry intelligence for Africa

 Hu Yuhai, the Vice President of Huawei's Hybrid Cloud speaks during the Africa Connect 2024 conference in Johannesburg. [Courtesy]

Huawei has launched a Hybrid Cloud stack to support Africa's development into an intelligent digital hub.

Dubbed ‘Leap to Cloud to Accelerate Industrial Intelligence’, the 8.3 cloud stack provides trusted cloud infrastructure, innovative cloud service abilities and extensive industry know-how to help government and enterprise customers in Africa accelerate cloud adoption.

Speaking at the Huawei Africa Connect 2024 conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, Hu Yuhai, the Vice President of Hybrid Cloud said the cloud has ramped up investments in Africa to support the continent's development into an intelligent digital hub.

Hu said the journey began in 2018, with the launch of Africa's first public cloud region of Huawei Cloud in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This was followed by a significant expansion in June 2024, with the launch of Northern Africa's first public cloud region of Huawei Cloud in Cairo, Egypt.

Huawei Cloud has been recognised as one of the fastest-growing cloud providers in the world.

"Huawei Cloud strives to be the preferred cloud for intelligent transformation,” said Hu adding that, “As per our mission statement of being, ‘In Africa, For Africa’, we are ready to work alongside our customers and partners with better technologies, industry solutions, and ecosystem resources”.

He said Huawei’s expanded cloud activity reflects the fact that government and enterprise customers in Africa are keen to embrace intelligent and digital transformation.

According to Hu, the cloud is dedicated to offering an industry-leading hybrid cloud solution, empowering customers to spark cloud innovation.

“Huawei Cloud Stack 8.3 boasts a wide array of enhanced cloud services and features to provide a trusted, more resilient cloud native foundation. It boosts innovation in the following key areas and makes new technologies locally available as fast as possible,” he said.

He said Huawei has continuously invested in foundational software and hardware technologies alike, has established secure, reliable, and open cloud-native infrastructure, and provides green, low-carbon IT hardware and data center infrastructure. Huawei aims to lay a robust foundation for digital transformation in Africa.

“Huawei leverages data and AI technologies to provide numerous cloud services, aiming to help customers unleash the value of data and enhance data sovereignty,” he said.

Hu said Huawei provides a series of professional services, covering high-level design, service planning, implementation, and deliveries, based on robust experience from numerous global projects. Huawei looks to work with more industry partners to help customers accelerate intelligent and digital transformation.

For Africa, the cloud stack will accelerate industry intelligence with three strengths.

Hu’s sentiments were echoed by Bai Yan, Vice President of Huawei Cloud for the Southern Africa Region who said as industry customers drive forward with cloud adoption and intelligent transformation, they encountered certain challenges, such as unforeseen issues with submarine optical cables, inefficient methods of acquiring cloud resources, and concerns over data sovereignty.

“Huawei Cloud Stack helps them address these challenges with three strengths. It provides on-premised, reliable and secure cloud infrastructure, as well as offers an extensive suite of over 110 cloud services unmatched in the industry alongside a diversified partner ecosystem. All these are designed to help government and enterprise customers in Africa accelerate industry intelligence,” said Mr Bai.

Huawei Cloud is eager to enhance cooperation with industry customers and partners to develop scenario-specific solutions tailored to industry needs in Africa and create a thriving local digital ecosystem together.

Xiao Yi, President of Huawei Cloud’s Global Ecosystem Solution Department said digital transformation is currently experiencing exponential growth.

“We are stepping into the era of intelligence. Huawei Cloud looks forward to joining hands with African partners to build a new foundation for an intelligent world, develop digital solutions, and reshape industries with intelligence,” he said.

With innovative technologies and a vast array of industry-specific solutions, Huawei Cloud Stack currently serves more than 5,500 government and enterprise customers around the world, leading multiple markets, such as the hybrid cloud markets in China and the emerging Asia-Pacific region.