MWC Shanghai 2024 is now in its third and final day at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, with nearly 40,000 in-person attendees from 124 countries from over 6,500 companies attending the show. Hosted by industry organization GSMA, the show features Future First as its core theme, exploring key industry topics including 5G and 5G Advanced, AI and Generative AI, and Industry 4.0. Andrea Yukta, Senior Editor at The Fast Mode sat down with ZTE, a key sponsor and exhibitor at MWC Shanghai 2024, to explore these themes and discuss the company's participation at the show.
Andrea: What are some of the exciting updates from ZTE announced at the show?
ZTE: During MWC Shanghai 2024, ZTE presented innovative solutions and success cases in connectivity, computing power, industrial digitalization, and terminal devices, committed to building solid foundations with its full-stack and full-scenario intelligent computing solution.
In addition to exhibitions, ZTE participated in various forums, sharing insights on trending topics, including AI, intelligent manufacturing, 5G business models, low-altitude economy, and digital life. The company also hosted a series of launch events, showcasing its AI-powered eyewear-free 3D products and the Nebula Telecom Large Model.
Adhering to its "connectivity + computing" strategy, ZTE aims to create a dynamic ecosystem with industry partners, emphasizing openness and decoupling. Through continuous innovation, ZTE seeks to unfold an intelligent future.
1. Computing Power: Full-Stack Intelligent Computing as Efficient Foundation
ZTE has showcased its full-stack and full-scenario intelligent computing infrastructure at MWC Shanghai 2024. This initiative has laid a solid digital foundation for industries and spearheaded the AI+ era. With a full series of servers, high-performance storage products, lossless networks, and green data centers, ZTE has created a robust engine for diverse intelligent computing centers. Openness and decoupling maximize cost efficiency in model development and migration, thus promoting shared success in the intelligent computing industry. ZTE's Nebula intelligent computing network solution, along with advanced technologies such as Edge-Network Congestion Control (ENCC) and Intelligent Global Load Balancing (IGLB), enables high-speed connectivity within and across data centers. Ubiquitous native intelligence and the Nebula Telecom Large Model together lay a solid digital foundation for various industries. For data centers, ZTE offers full-lifecycle services from consulting and planning to integration and delivery. Relying on low-carbon and energy-saving technologies, the liquid-cooled data centers can achieve a PUE as low as 1.1. Learn more here.
2. Connectivity: A New Era of 10Gbps Experience
Currently, 5G-A is playing an increasingly prominent role in various emerging fields such as space-air-ground communications. Together with industry partners, ZTE continues to explore innovations in technologies in different scenarios and industries. 5G-A empowers AR live streaming and diversified new B2B and B2C services based on 10Gbps+ experience, Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) application for low-altitude economy, ubiquitous connectivity of NTN (non-terrestrial network) and the Nebula Telecom Large Model accelerated autonomous network, opening a new era for network development and service boosting. Meanwhile, breakthroughs in key technologies for 6G will unfold a boundless future.
ZTE, a global leader in OTN technologies, is actively driving the evolution of all-optical connectivity, building 10Gbps networks for cities, and empowering smart life based on intelligent computing. The company's pioneering "three-mode five-rate" Combo PON not only supports smooth evolution to commercial application, but also helps accelerate industrial iterations. Systems at the single-wavelength rates of 400G, 800G, and 1T+ have set world records in transmission distance and capacity. And the 800GE deterministic router enables high throughput and lossless transmission over wide-area networks, providing support for new services in the computing-network convergence of operators, such as data express and east-west data rendering.
3. Industry: Phygital Convergence for Innovative Development
As a Driver of the Digital Economy, ZTE proposes the solution of "intelligent computing infrastructure + Digital Nebula" to facilitate phygital innovation and boost productivity in the intelligent era. Together with top industry customers, ZTE has developed hundreds of exemplary projects in key sectors, including urban lifelines, water resources management, urban rail, ports, and manufacturing, stimulating the innovative development of industries. As such, ZTE Digital Nebula 3.0 now has become the "super brain" of industrial digitalization, enabling customers and industry partners to foster a sustainable and intelligent ecosystem.
Moreover, in key industries such as emergency response, education, government affairs, and green energy, ZTE fully understands the core value and far-reaching social impact of public services. With innovative technologies and customized solutions, ZTE ensures data security and improves service efficiency, to ultimately advance social well-being and sustainable development.
4. ZTE Mobile Devices: AI Full-Scenario Intelligent Ecosystem 3.0
With an "AI for All" product strategy, ZTE has launched a full range of AI devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs, and mobile internet products, dedicated to building AI Full-Scenario Intelligent Ecosystem 3.0. Emerging as a pioneer in cloud PCs, ZTE possesses a global user base of over 3 million.
During the show, ZTE and China Mobile jointly released two industry-leading innovative products: the world's first 5G+AI eyewear-free 3D tablet, nubia Pad 3D Ⅱ, and the entry-level AI eyewear-free 3D smartphone, ZTE Yuanhang 3D. ZTE Yuanhang 3D integrates cutting-edge 5G, AI, and eyewear-free 3D technologies, equipped with the industry's first AI+3D all-ecosystem software and hardware system. Learn more here.
For more information about ZTE's highlights at MWC Shanghai 2024, please visit here.
Andrea: Did ZTE take the stage for any keynote sessions at the show? What did they cover?
ZTE: Xu Ziyang, CEO of ZTE, delivered keynote speeches at both the "AI First" session and the GTI Summit themed "5G-A×AI" at MWC Shanghai 2024. Mr. Xu shared ZTE's practices and innovations in intelligent digitalization amidst the AI wave.
In his keynote speech at the "AI First" session, Xu Ziyang shared insights under the theme "Ingenuity for Solid Foundation, Openness for Win-Win." He emphasized that while the world has already entered an AI-driven industrial revolution, the development of generative AI faces challenges beyond hallucinations, security, and ethics, including computing power, energy consumption, datasets, standardization, and commercial applications. To address these challenges, ZTE proposes three major principles: openness and decoupling, computing and network evolution, and training and inference enhancement.
Centered on customer value, ZTE provides a full-stack and full-scenario intelligent computing solution encompassing computing power, networks, capabilities, intelligence, and applications. This establishes a robust foundation through technical expertise and fosters innovation through collaborative partnerships, aimed at empowering various industries in their digital transformation. By continuously injecting momentum into high-quality economic development, ZTE plays a pivotal role in shaping a brighter future in the AI era.
At the GTI Summit during MWC Shanghai 2024, Xu Ziyang participated in the GTI-GSMA 5G-A×AI cooperation signing ceremony and delivered a speech titled "Computing and Network Evolution Towards an Intelligent Future." He detailed the transition from traditional industrialization to new industrialization, addressing core challenges, proposing solutions, and citing practical cases. The critical pathway involves breakthroughs in core digital and intelligent technologies, enhancing infrastructure efficiency and capability, and deeply integrating industry expertise. This accelerates the convergence of digital and physical realms, enhances production and transaction efficiency, and establishes agile, resilient organizations prepared for an uncertain future.
According to Mr. Xu, ZTE advocates focusing on four dimensions - digitalization, networking, intelligence, and low-carbon initiatives - to tackle current challenges and drive continuous innovation and development. The company promotes openness and decoupling, leveraging advanced networks for superior computing, enhancing intelligence capabilities, and driving business growth through green initiatives, with a strong commitment to vigorously supporting the healthy and sustainable development of the industry chain, fostering a thriving digital economy.
For the original speech by Xu Ziyang titled “Ingenuity for Solid Foundation, Openness for Win-Win” at the "AI First" session, please visit here.
Andrea: Artificial intelligence is making headlines across the industry - for telcos, where do you expect AI and Generative AI to make the greatest impact?
ZTE: Over the past year, large language models and generative AI have accelerated the transformation towards an increasingly digital and intelligent world. With the rapid emergence of new technologies and products, new business scenarios and models are also gaining momentum. Although generative AI is still in the early stage, there is a growing consensus that the world has already entered an AI-driven industrial revolution. AI will have disruptive and far-reaching impacts on all aspects of production and life, significantly reshape the global economic landscape, and bring unprecedented business opportunities in various sectors such as retail, financial services, and healthcare.
However, while the world has already entered an AI-driven industrial revolution, the development of generative AI faces challenges that extend from hallucinations, security, and ethics, to computing power, energy consumption, datasets, standardization, and commercial applications. To address these challenges, ZTE proposes three major principles: computing and network evolution, training and inference enhancement, openness and decoupling.
First, to break through technology bottlenecks, it’s crucial to strengthen research on architectures, algorithms, computing networks, and hardware-software synergy, thus improving AI training and inference efficiency.
Second, various solutions such as Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and AI agents should be employed to ensure reliability, security, and interpretability, thereby facilitating the widespread application of large models and higher value creation, and building a data flywheel that improves both capabilities and business efficiency.
Third, accelerating standardization through openness and decoupling will help build a thriving industrial and commercial ecosystem.
Andrea: Finally, any exciting social events and activities ZTE had lined up for attendees at the show?
ZTE: ZTE, along with Qualcomm, Siemens, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, celebrated the official inauguration of the GTI 5G-A x AI Open Lab in Shanghai during MWC Shanghai 2024. This facility, known as "Infinity Lab," is now formally recognized as part of the GTI 5G-A x AI Open Labs network and will serve as a hub for collaborative research and development, focusing on 5G-A Intelligent Energy Efficiency, 5G-A Large Language Models and 5G-A Digital Twins.
ZTE in collaboration with China Telecom's Shanghai Branch, has utilized 5G-A technology to develop a blueprint for smart parks. This initiative seamlessly integrates technology, nature, and humanistic sentiment, ushering in a new era of urban development. During MWC Shanghai 2024, China Telecom's Shanghai Branch, ZTE, and Antwork Technology showcased drone delivery services within the park. These services offer on-demand orders, precise navigation, meter-level positioning, and accurate drops. Drones act as "aerial couriers," facilitating food deliveries and potentially emergency medical service, introducing innovative service possibilities to smart city parks. Read more here.
During the show, ZTE also held the launch event for its Nebula Telecom Large Model, officially unveiling a series of Nebula Telecom Large Model products, including the Nebula Telecom Model, the Agent Factory, and a range of application products. By offering a complete system that spans from model development to platform deployment and to application, ZTE aims to provide comprehensive enablement for advanced autonomous networks.
ZTE is a global leading provider of integrated information and communication technology solutions. With innovative technologies and product solutions, ZTE serves global telecom operators, government and enterprise customers, and consumers. Covering more than 160 countries and regions, ZTE serves over 1/4 people worldwide, and is committed to achieving a bright future of connectivity and trust everywhere.
