Collaboration has become something we take for granted in our world of hybrid work. The ability to share ideas and workloads or work together makes teams and businesses stronger. Today, those crucial relationships are largely being fostered over video conferencing.
According to Gu Xuejun, the president of Huawei’s intelligent collaboration product line, Huawei has been the number one video conferencing provider in China for 12 consecutive years. The tech giant is also becoming hugely popular across the Middle East and Europe thanks to its elegant hardware and innovative software solutions.
“My business in Huawei has a long history,” Gu tells ITPro. “Over 30 years, it’s quite a long time and we’re always investing in this industry. Today, we have over 2,000 employees and 12 research and development centers.”
Huawei’s deep well of knowledge and its thorough research and development in video conferencing and collaboration technologies were on display at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025. With its innovative meeting room hardware, the IdeaHub, and its intuitive CloudLink platform.
Video conferencing’s AI revolution
Surprisingly, we’ve been using video conferencing for over 30 years, and there are even examples of projects starting in the 1970s. But the sharp uptake in use over the last five years makes it feel extremely modern.
Here we’ve seen advancements in audio quality, cloud-based video streaming, noise cancellation, and live text translation. That last one is based on AI technology, which is currently taking video conferencing to new heights.
“We had a lot of cloud meetings, everybody wanted to connect anytime anywhere, and recently, I noticed that around four or five years ago, the industry evolved,” Gu says. “AI came in very hot and I think AI will change this industry very deeply. Huawei is already doing work here; we have different layers, for the system, and the software application, where we already have AI technology inside.”
For Gu, there is a clear definition of what AI is and how it should be added to products. There is “AI plus” which he says is the native form of AI technology, baked into the design, usually at the processor level. And there is “plus AI” which has many meanings, according to Gu, such as an installed AI app or a generative AI extra. But Huawei, he adds, has real AI deeply incorporated into its products.
“Our solutions can connect everything,” Gu says. “Just like your phone, just like your car, just like your smart home and your office, your laptop — everything. You can connect. We have a full series of AI functionality. For the user experience, we use AI to make it very smooth.”
Huawei’s solutions include the CloudLink platform and the IdeaHub range; the newest version of the latter, the IdeaHub ES3, was launched at MWC 2025. At face value, it is a large meeting room display for virtual calls, but look closer and you’ll find an elegant solution that takes business calls to the next level.
The Huawei IdeaHub ES3
When Huawei talks about ‘intelligent collaboration’ it refers to the company’s internal beliefs that its devices and cloud services should be synchronized, seamless, and suitable for all scenarios. It wants to popularize 4K and AI functionality, but more than that, it wants to enable everyone, from the top of a business to its entry-level employees, to work ‘intelligently’.
The Huawei IdeaHub has been built with that methodology in mind. Its large screen has been designed for offices so that teams can collaborate on multiple scenarios. It is mainly deployed in conference rooms, executive boardrooms, and open offices to support enterprise collaboration and productivity, though it has also been successfully used as a solution for digital transformation in areas of poverty.
Huawei unveiled its flagship conference whiteboard at MWC in Barcelona. The IdeaHub ES3 and S3 are both innovative and powerful, and more collaborative than ever. With outstanding audio and video quality and Huawei’s own AI image engine enabling HD cloud conferences.
Up to nine pieces of content can be displayed on the IdeaHub’s screen simultaneously, with a comfortable layout. The content can also be annotated or controlled remotely, making it easier for reviewers, like teachers. What’s more, an electronically controlled camera privacy shield strengthens security, while its 24-mic array with 15-meter sound pickup and AI-powered noise reduction ensures exceptional audio clarity.
Writing on the IdeaHub’s whiteboard feels true to pen on paper, or even chalk on a chalkboard, with its 16ms ultra-low latency. What’s more, its intelligent writing recognition system identifies words and figures with ease. And whiteboard content can be lifted and shared with a simple scan of the OR code via a browser.
“Use of our IdeaHub, or our end-to-end solutions, can help children in poor areas, can connect them to classrooms, get them access to high-quality lessons and good teachers,” Gu explains. “Last year we had a big project in Africa that helped African people, children, to access education resources. I’m very proud that we could do this project.”
“We have a vision slogan ‘IdeaHub everywhere’… that means we want our solution to be very widely used in lots of different industries. And I think our unique and innovative products can help – not every industry is filled with IT guys, so we want them to be able to use our product very simply, or easily, to digitize.
The IdeaHub, and its many features, are a testament to Huawei’s relentless pursuit of innovation through Research and development. And with around 30% of Gu’s employees still looking into future-thinking research, the company will continue to push the boundaries of video conferencing and intelligent collaboration.
For more information about Huawei’s Intelligent Collaboration products and solutions, visit: https://e.huawei.com/en/solutions/enterprise-collaboration
