Tech giant Huawei has unveiled a new suite of artificial intelligence (AI)-ready data infrastructure solutions aimed at helping South African businesses unlock value from data and accelerate digital transformation.
This formed the centrepiece of the company’s annual IT Day held in Johannesburg on Wednesday, which drew more than 400 customers and partners from across industries.
Future-proofing infrastructure
With AI rapidly reshaping business operations, Huawei said organisations are under increasing pressure to rethink how they store, manage and secure data. The event spotlighted technologies such as intelligent storage, all-flash systems and advanced data centre virtualisation as key enablers of this shift.
Kui Zheng, CEO of Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group South Africa, said the focus is on helping organisations future-proof their infrastructure.
“From government to transport, finance and energy, South African organisations are already leading in ICT upgrades and digital transformation,” Zheng said.
Huawei’s strategic priorities
He outlined four strategic priorities for the company locally: strengthening data protection against cyber threats, improving data centre performance through virtualisation, expanding AI computing capabilities, and enabling smarter, more connected workplaces.
A key highlight was Huawei’s OceanStor Dorado storage platform, designed for mission-critical workloads. The system supports multiple storage protocols in a single solution while enhancing performance and security — crucial as businesses grapple with growing data volumes driven by AI and the so-called token economy.
Data Centre Solution
Huawei also showcased its Data Centre Solution (DCS), a full-stack virtualisation platform that integrates computing, storage and networking. The company said the solution improves resilience, simplifies management and includes built-in ransomware protection.
On the AI front, Huawei introduced its Atlas computing portfolio, including high-performance architectures capable of handling large-scale workloads. The company expects demand for AI inference – where systems generate outputs from trained models — to grow rapidly over the next five years, surpassing training demand and expanding significantly by 2030.
Smart collaboration tools
Beyond infrastructure, Huawei demonstrated smart collaboration tools such as IdeaHub, designed to modernise meeting spaces and classrooms through wireless connectivity and AI-enabled features.
The event also highlighted real-world adoption. Huawei’s long-standing partnership with Altron Digital Business has delivered projects worth more than R5 billion over 14 years, supported by a network of local engineers.
Looking ahead, Huawei said it will continue working closely with partners and customers to support South Africa’s digital transformation journey as AI adoption accelerates across sectors.
- Huawei launched new AI-ready data infrastructure solutions in South Africa to help businesses unlock data value and accelerate digital transformation.
- Key technologies introduced include intelligent storage, all-flash systems, data centre virtualisation, and Huawei’s OceanStor Dorado storage platform for mission-critical workloads.
- Huawei highlighted four local strategic priorities: data protection, enhanced virtualised data centre performance, expanded AI computing capabilities, and smarter connected workplaces.
- The company showcased its full-stack Data Centre Solution (DCS) with integrated ransomware protection and the Atlas AI computing portfolio aimed at growing AI inference demand.
- Huawei demonstrated smart collaboration tools like IdeaHub and reinforced its long-term partnership with Altron Digital Business, emphasizing ongoing support for South Africa’s digital transformation.
Tech giant Huawei has unveiled a new suite of artificial intelligence (AI)-ready data infrastructure solutions aimed at helping
Kui
“From government to transport, finance and energy,
He outlined four strategic priorities for the company locally: strengthening data protection against cyber threats, improving data centre performance through virtualisation, expanding AI computing capabilities, and enabling smarter, more connected workplaces.
A key highlight was Huawei’s OceanStor Dorado storage platform, designed for mission-critical workloads.
Huawei also showcased its Data Centre Solution (DCS), a full-stack virtualisation platform that integrates computing, storage and networking.
On the AI front, Huawei introduced its Atlas computing portfolio, including high-performance architectures capable of handling large-scale workloads.
