Huawei's 4th Digital Economy Development Forum: Building a Smarter Future

At the 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC) held in Barcelona, Huawei initiated its 4th Digital Economy Development Forum, which attracted nearly 100 key figures, including digital strategy leaders, industry experts, and representatives from various industry associations across regions such as Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The forum was centered around the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in driving advancements in the digital economy.

David Wang, Huawei's Executive Director, set the tone of the conference with an opening speech emphasizing the pivotal shift from vision to tangible value in creating an intelligent future. He highlighted how AI is experiencing explosive growth globally and has come to occupy a central role in various sectors. The implementation of physical AI technologies is rapidly increasing, with predictions from IDC stating that AI will contribute a staggering $22.3 trillion to the global economy by 2030. This evolution transitions the focus of the digital economy from simple connectivity and data management to leveraging AI for informed decision-making, fundamentally reshaping global economic dynamics and value chains.

Wang elaborated on three fundamental challenges that the international community must address to foster sustainable high-quality development within the global digital economy:
1. Supportive Industrial Policies: The necessity for favorable industrial policies that fully support the digital economy is paramount. Such policies should enable the deep and synchronized development of both digital and real-world economies.

2. Future-Oriented Infrastructure: There is a pressing need for advanced infrastructure that will serve as a solid foundation for the large-scale application of digital technologies and transformational efforts across various industries. Improving network connections and computational power is critical to achieving low-latency networks that can facilitate AI advancements, effectively preventing information silos.

3. Sustainable Talent Ecosystem: The establishment of a robust and multi-tiered talent ecosystem is seen as a strategic necessity for the long-term sustainable development of the digital economy. Encouraging continuous education and training in digital competencies will be essential to develop the required workforce.

Wang concluded his address by stating, “The era of AI is here. Huawei is committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to cultivate intelligent industries and establish a solid foundation for a smarter world. Together, let’s turn our vision into value and shape our intelligent future.”

During the forum, Joyce Liu, the head of Huawei's ICT marketing operations, underscored that digital infrastructure is a cornerstone for industry development in the AI era. This means that construction efforts should be accelerated across various fronts, including networks, energy, and computing capabilities. Establishing ultra-low latency network connections without delay will be crucial to prevent information silos from hindering AI development. Liu advocated for the rapid establishment of green data centers to promote computational growth while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions.

Professor Rong Ke, Director of the Institute of Economics at Tsinghua University, also emphasized the importance of data as a critical production factor in the AI era. He stated that only by refining the digital infrastructure throughout the entire data lifecycle – from generation to storage and application – can the true value of data be unlocked.

The forum reached a consensus on several key issues surrounding digital economy development. Countries are currently at varying stages of digital economy maturity and need to craft AI development strategies alongside tailored implementation pathways, effectively promoting a shift towards intelligent transformations.

Since its inception in 2023, Huawei's Digital Economy Development Forum has gradually morphed into a high-level communication platform focused on innovation, cooperation, and shared success on a global scale. The MWC Barcelona 2026 took place from March 2 to 5, during which Huawei showcased its latest products and solutions at booth 1H50 in Hall 1 of the Fira Gran Via. For more information, visit Huawei's official MWC page.