Folks, Huawei has just made a move that has the tech world buzzing. They’ve opened a research and development center in Shanghai.
It’s so massive, it makes Silicon Valley look like a school science fair.
Huawei’s mega R&D Centre
According to EE Times China, this behemoth sprawls across 2,600 acres – that’s larger than Apple Park and Microsoft’s Redmond Campus combined.
CEO Ren Zhengfei says the new centre will “create an atmosphere suitable for foreign scientists to work and live in.”
He’s hoping some of the perks – such as having more than 100 cafes on campus – will attract young talent from overseas.
The Huawei Lianqiu Lake R&D Center didn’t come cheap, either.
A cool $1.4 billion
We’re talking a cool 10 billion Yuan (that’s about $1.4 billion, or R26 billion on home soil). But it’s not just big for the sake of being big.
This facility is set to house over 35,000 of the company’s brightest minds.
The campus has eight blocks and 104 buildings, consisting of a complex of laboratories, offices and leisure areas. All these buildings are connected via an internal railway system.
Huawei vs US sanctions
But here’s the kicker – this isn’t just about having a fancy new office. This move is the tech giant’s way of thumbing its nose at US sanctions.
By consolidating its R&D efforts under one (very large) roof, Huawei’s streamlining its operations and making it easier for its various departments to collaborate.
And let’s not forget the talent hunt.
With US citizens and green card holders off limits, Huawei’s pulling out all the stops to attract top-tier Chinese talent from abroad.
