[News] Huawei’s HarmonyOS Project Ready to Hit the Road with Increasing Participation from Chinese Enterprises

Following US sanctions in August 2019, Huawei’s internal operating system backup, HarmonyOS, emerged and has been in development for nearly 5 years. Currently, HarmonyOS is widely recognized, and its native version is set to launch on June 21st, marking the cornerstone of Huawei’s ambitious HarmonyOS project.

According to a report from UDN, Huawei is pursuing a dual-track development strategy for HarmonyOS. Internally, it focuses on its “1+8+N” terminal business strategy: “1” refers to smartphones, “8” includes large screens (TVs), tablets, PCs, wearables, car units, and more, while “N” covers a wide range of IoT devices. This approach aims to expand and flourish the HarmonyOS ecosystem.

In essence, HarmonyOS follows two main paths, while the first shares similar market positioning with current market leaders Android and iOS in the consumer sector, primarily focused on Huawei’s own terminal devices, aiming to expand the HarmonyOS ecosystem within the consumer domain.

The second path is OpenHarmony, also known as Open Source HarmonyOS. Reportedly, this initiative involves Huawei’s ecosystem partners leveraging Huawei’s donated OpenHarmony code base to develop their own commercial versions of HarmonyOS. These partners utilize their industry expertise and resources to vertically expand into sectors such as education, finance, transportation, and more. OpenHarmony primarily targets industrial applications.

Vertically, Huawei is reportedly looking to integrate HarmonyOS and OpenHarmony through foundational technology, establishing interoperability and connectivity to create an unified HarmonyOS. This strategic integration is designed to position HarmonyOS as a world-class operating system for the future IoT, aligning with Huawei’s ultimate goal of establishing HarmonyOS as a global IoT OS.

Recently, the unified device interconnection technology standards for OpenHarmony were officially released. Huawei’s Consumer Business Group Chairman, Richard Yu, recently disclosed plans to unify application and service ecosystems across Harmony OS and the commercial versions of OpenHarmony. This initiative aims to enhance consumer and industry experiences by sharing a unified HarmonyOS ecosystem that includes programming languages, compilers, and tools, thereby constructing a comprehensive smart terminal operating system.

Huawei is also said to be advancing another significant vertical initiative: the native HarmonyOS. Currently, Huawei has successfully developed the entire stack of HarmonyOS as an independent Chinese-made operating system, contrasting with the majority of global operating systems such as Android and iOS, which are based on the Linux or Unix kernel.

Huawei’s recent strides not only shape the future of HarmonyOS and OpenHarmony but also bolster Huawei’s autonomy and control. These developments are crucial for China’s tech enterprises, providing resilience against potential US sanctions. Whether in consumer or industrial sectors, the Mega HarmonyOS can be activated promptly, underscoring why numerous Chinese companies are joining the HarmonyOS ecosystem.