Huawei taps into smart home sector with proprietary operating system

Huawei launched a smart home system with prices beginning at 99,999 yuan (US$15,384) that includes an intelligent HarmonyOS system and network connections, as the tech giant seeks new growth opportunities amid the United States technology ban. 

The launch represents Huawei’s ambition to establish a HarmonyOS ecosystem in the home appliance and property industries. It has more than 1,000 big-name partners in the sectors such as A.O Smith and BSH. 

Huawei’s new business endeavors cover intelligent control centers, Wi-Fi connections and Power Line Communications networks. The control centers feature HarmonyOS systems and artificial intelligence (AI) engines with automatic setups to offer users better experiences on sleeping, bathing or reading.

For example, it controls home appliances based on setups and real-time environments such as temperature, air quality and light, said Richard Yu, Huawei’s head of consumer business.

“It’s an intelligent assistant that covers the entire house and every corner where there is electricity,” Yu said. 

The smart home system is available for sales in June at the earliest. Huawei plans to open 50 experience stores in 50 cities nationwide with the system demo.

Huawei also launched new smart televisions with the HarmonyOS system, an AI robot and a spinning bicycle.

The company's consumer business grew at a slower pace in 2020 with a 3.3 percent rate as the US sanctions had a “direct impact,” the company said. The sanctions on chips and software have affected Huawei’s smartphone production, but other consumer businesses is expected to offset the impact.