The Premier of New South Wales (NSW), Mike Baird MP, and the Global Rotating CEO of Huawei, Ken Hu, officially opened Huawei’s National Training and Innovation Centre in Chatswood today. 

The centre is one of the biggest investments Huawei has made in Australia and will train Huawei customers, partners, students and staff on the latest high tech ICT equipment. The centre will also enable local based innovation with partners and customers in the Innovation Lab.

 “Huawei Australia has trained over 3,000 people in the last 5 years, the National Training and Innovation Center will help us continue our effort in talent development and innovation in Australia,” Hu said.

With the capacity to train over 2,000 people each year, the new center is equipped with the latest technology including wireless, fixed technology as well as unified communication solutions.

In addition to customers and partners, Australian higher education students are among those set to benefit from Huawei Australia’s $30 million investment. Huawei will fund the training of at least 100 Universities and TAFE students as part of its broader commitment to investing in the local community.

NSW Premier Mike Baird met with technologists and students, during the opening and tour of the new world-class centre, “There’s a strong market for new technologies in NSW and I welcome Huawei’s investment and commitment to creating a better ICT sector in this state,”

“NSW and China’s Guangdong Province, where Huawei is based, share a Sister State relationship that spans 36 years. The company’s decision to establish a training and innovation centre in Sydney is an example of the strength of the relationship,” said Baird.

“I also welcome Huawei’s investment in training local TAFE and university students, which will ensure we have the talent needed to make the most of the ICT innovation and shape our future economy,” Baird added.

Ken Hu, Huawei Global Rotating CEO, said “Innovation has become part of our DNA. That’s why we invest at least 10% of our revenue each year in R&D since its founding in 1987. Just like capital and technology, talent is a key success factor for innovation.”

Huawei spent over USD $6.6 billion on R&D in 2014 and over USD $30 billion for the last 10 years. Huawei takes a lead in the number of global patent applications across all sectors and is one of the leading innovators for 5G and the development of the Internet of Things (IoT).