Huawei is advancing smart urban rail by integrating AI, big data, and cloud technologies, enhancing operational efficiency and commuter experience worldwide.
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| Huawei presented a vision for intelligent urban rail networks at its Hong Kong summit, emphasizing cloud, AI, and digital integration across global metro systems. Image: Huawei |
Hong Kong, China — May 12, 2025:
Huawei hosted its Smart Urban Rail Summit in Hong Kong on May 12, 2025, under the theme "Moving Forward with Cloud and Network Convergence, Data Science and AI for Smart Urban Rail Network." The event brought together global transportation leaders, city planners, and digital infrastructure experts to explore how cutting-edge technologies are transforming urban transit systems.
Thomas Xu, Vice President of Huawei's Intelligent Transportation Business and Director of Partner Development and Sales, highlighted the necessity of selecting technologies best suited to each city's unique transportation demands. He emphasized Huawei’s commitment to aligning information, digital, and intelligent solutions with the real-world needs of urban services.
Dr. Tony Lee Kar-yun, Director of Operations and Innovation at MTR Corporation, pointed out that integrating AI and digital tools into rail operations improves both efficiency and passenger experience. He noted that such innovation is crucial to building more responsive, sustainable, and convenient public transit systems for growing urban populations.
Mr. Xi Xiaodong, Chief Engineer of Shanghai Rail Transit Maintenance Support Co., Ltd., emphasized the importance of combining external digital resources with internal technical expertise to achieve high-quality rail development.
Representing Huawei’s railway business, Nelson Huang outlined the company’s technology stack, which includes cloud computing, big data, 5G, AI, and IoT. These integrated technologies serve as the digital backbone for intelligent rail systems, helping to modernize urban transit infrastructures across the globe.
Mr. Xiong Xinbin, Acting General Manager and Senior Vice President of the Beijing Railway Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (BRI), shared how their deployment of Huawei’s Pangu AI models, Ascend chips, and Kunpeng processors has built a strong data foundation for rail operations. He also showcased how AI-driven platforms are improving intelligent maintenance and operational oversight.
During a dynamic roundtable, leading voices in rail innovation—such as Ji Kun from Huawei, Datuk Dr. Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman of Malaysia’s MARIC, Chan Hing-keung from MTR, and others—discussed real-world application scenarios, challenges of transformation, data-driven insights, and strategies for enhancing passenger satisfaction.
With operations in over 300 rail lines across 70+ cities worldwide, Huawei reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with transit authorities and industry leaders. Looking ahead, the company emphasized its philosophy of “openness, cooperation, and shared success,” with the aim of enabling seamless mobility, digital transformation, and intelligent transit networks globally.