Ren on Thursday met Dai Houliang, chairman of both the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and its listed arm PetroChina, in Shenzhen where they discussed “improving corporate governance, digital transformation and intelligent development, as well as scientific and technological innovation”, according to a report on Friday by China Petroleum Daily, the CNPC’s official newspaper.
The talks were held in conjunction with Dai’s visit to Huawei’s Computing Innovation Lab, the report said. The facility is responsible for research and development on the telecommunications equipment giant’s Kunpeng and Ascend processors used in data-centre servers, according to past media reports.
The meeting underscores Huawei’s long-standing ties with CNPC and PetroChina in enterprise projects that have helped modernise their operations in the energy industry.
Huawei Technologies founder and chief executive Ren Zhengfei, wearing a light-blue suit jacket and Azure-coloured shirt, faces PetroChina chairman Dai Houliang (third from right) and other executives from the energy titan at a meeting in Shenzhen on March 28, 2024. Photo: Weibo
CNPC recently worked with Huawei to build a cognitive computing platform, called E8. It uses artificial intelligence technologies such as knowledge graphs, natural language processing and machine learning to provide intelligent analyses for oil and gas exploration and production, according to an industry report from Huawei’s website.
Huawei in 2021 helped PetroChina build its first comprehensive energy service station in Beijing. This station combines petrol, gas, hydrogen, electricity and other energy services with various non-energy businesses such as shopping, catering and a car wash.
One of the strongest growth sectors for Huawei in 2023 was its cloud computing business, which expanded 21.9 per cent to 55.29 billion yuan. Huawei Cloud, with operations in more than 170 countries and regions, covers digital and intelligent transformation initiatives across various industries, including the energy sector.
Before this week’s meeting with PetroChina executives, the 79-year-old Ren’s last known public appearance was in August 2023, when he addressed university students and academics who took part in the Huawei-sponsored International Collegiate Programming Contest.
At that meeting, Ren said he was against “xenophobia” towards any foreign brand and sees Apple as a valuable teacher, according to a memo of his talk that was published last September in the event’s website.
“We often explore why Apple’s products are so good, and we can also see the gap between us and Apple,” Ren said. “In that sense, it would not be an exaggeration to call me an Apple fan.”
