[Geneva, Switzerland, June 5, 2024] Huawei and its partners received two prestigious awards for demonstrating the practical application of AI in industry. First, at the AI for Good Global Summit held in Geneva on May 30 and 31, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) awarded Huawei and Hunan Hualin Xiangtan Iron & Steel for the application of Huawei's Pangu AI model in the steel industry. Second, at the World Information Society Summit, an ITU event held in Geneva on May 30, an award of excellence was presented to Huawei and Saudi Telecom Company for their “SmartTruck” project, a mobile classroom that provides digital training to the elderly.
AI Use in the Steel Industry Award
The first award was selected from a call for submissions by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to create a repository of AI-driven solutions for sustainable development. The pilot release was announced at the AI for Good Global Summit, the UN's leading platform for dialogue on sustainable AI development, held recently in Geneva, Switzerland. The use of the Pangu AI model in the steel industry stood out among hundreds of submissions.
ITU Deputy Secretary-General Thomas Ramanauskas said the winning use cases demonstrate clarity, alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the impact of AI on the SDGs, and compliance with ITU's scope.
The certification achieved by Huawei and its partner Hunan Hualin Xiangtan Iron and Steel for its use case stood out among submissions from around the world at the recent AI for Good Global Summit 2024.
Li Jianyu, chairman of Hunan Iron and Steel Group, called the “Pangu model” for the steel industry an innovative practice that promotes the application of AI to traditional industries like steel.
Cao Jibin, Senior Vice President and Regional President of China at Huawei, said that Huawei will continue to work with partners to advance large-scale innovative application practices and develop AI applications through system architecture innovation.
These applications will thrive “in three key areas: network infrastructure management, computing infrastructure and data circulation infrastructure,” he added.
The AI for Good Summit, hosted by ITU, attracted nearly 6,000 participants and showcased innovations in generative AI, robotics and brain-machine interfaces that can accelerate efforts to address global challenges.
STC's SmartTruck project wins WSIS+20
The Saudi Telecommunications Company's Smart Truck project, launched in partnership with Huawei and aiming to bridge the digital divide among seniors by providing digital skills training programs, won an award of excellence at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) organized by the ITU on May 30.
ITU Deputy Secretary-General Thomas Ramanauskas (left) presents the certificate to Huawei.
So far, more than 2,100 seniors in Saudi Arabia have benefited from the 150 training sessions delivered in the first phase of the program. The project operates under Huawei's TECH4ALL digital inclusion initiative, which aims to leverage technology to create a more inclusive and sustainable digital world.
Huawei Announces AI for Good Challenge
Also at the AI for Good Summit, Huawei announced two new competitions: one focused on machine learning (ML) for large-scale generative AI models in telecommunications, and the other on scheduling for energy management systems. Huawei also announced a challenge at the AI for Good Summit last year.
The ML Competition for Large Scale Generative AI Models in Telecommunications aims to pave the way for the development of next-generation telecommunications GPTs. It is a joint effort between Huawei, Technology Innovation Institute (UAE), Khalifa University, Large Generative AI Models in Telecom (GenAINet)-IEEE ComSoc Emerging Technology Initiative, AI for Good, and other key players.
The other competition aims to develop a machine learning model that will forecast daily solar energy generation and create a strategy to optimize the use of available energy sources. The goal is to minimize costs and carbon emissions while ensuring network stability, with the best solution to be presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan in November.
Collaboration in AI standardization is key
ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan Martin said a central activity of the summit would be strengthening “standards, cooperation and alignment.”
Bogdan Martin noted that interoperability and security are essential for responsible AI, but that the international community should promote inclusivity, especially in developing countries.
ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin speaks at the 2024 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland
“This global effort will ensure that AI governance principles are effectively translated into practical, actionable standards,” she said.
A two-hour roundtable on AI standards was held during the summit, where Bilel Jamoussi, Deputy Director of ITU's TSB and Head of Telecommunications Standardization Policy, expressed his gratitude to UN partners, government representatives and members of the private sector, including Huawei.
“We all agreed to continue the path of standards cooperation and harmonization on all of our AI standards,” he said.
Evan Xiao, vice president of Huawei, said unified standards and the process of discussing standards played a key role.
In the future, it will be paramount for AI standardization efforts to take into full consideration the alignment of application scenarios with products and services, integration with existing standards, and diversity of cross-cultural contexts, Xiao said.
