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A Huawei Technologies’ developed operating system called OpenHarmony is being promoted in China as a ‘national operating system’ to limit reliance on Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows and Android, Reuters reported.
A collection, consisting of a drone, bipedal robot, supermarket checkout and other devices, at the Harmony Ecosystem Innovation Centre in the southern city of Shenzhen has seen OpenHarmony replace Windows and Android, developed by Alphabet’s (GOOGL) (GOOG) Google, the report added.
Last year, President Xi Jinping told the Communist Party’s elite politburo that China must localize operating systems and other technology “as soon as possible” amid U.S. curbs on exports of advanced chips and related equipment.
OpenHarmony is now being promoted in China amid worries that other major companies could be cut off from Microsoft Windows and Android products on which many systems rely.
Huawei’s HarmonyOS overtook Apple’s (AAPL) iOS in terms of market share in China in the first quarter of 2024 (January-March), as the country’s customers lined up to buy Huawei’s flagship phones, according to Counterpoint Research.
The innovation center and government files often refer to OpenHarmony and HarmonyOS interchangeably as part of a larger Harmony ecosystem. The growth of HarmonyOS, anticipated to be launched in a PC version this year or 2025, will boost adoption of OpenHarmony, the report noted citing analysts.
Huawei surprised many in August 2023 by quietly launching its new flagship smartphone Mate 60 Pro, which seems 5G capable and features an advanced made-in-China 7-nanometer chip, which ignited concerns in the U.S. and raised questions about how it was possible, without the company being able to access critical technologies.
In April, Huawei launched the Pura 70 series, which features the Kirin 9010 chip, a follow-up to the Kirin 9000s made by China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International (OTCQX:SIUIF) for the Mate 60 Pro.
