Qatar University (QU) has partnered with Huawei to open an AI Lab as part of the Huawei ICT Academy at the university. The collaboration is a further boost to Qatar’s economy, whose National Vision 2030 recognizes talent’s central role in forging a prosperous society.

The Lab was officially opened by Dr. Khalid Al Ali who delivered a keynote speech, as well as Dr. Khalid Naji, Dean of the College of Engineering, QU, and Liam Zhao, CEO, Huawei Gulf North, in the presence of other senior Huawei executives, dignitaries and faculty. The group later toured the state-of-the-art lab equipped with the latest technologies.

The Huawei ICT Academy Lab will train QU students using Huawei equipment to acquire high-level Huawei Certifications in a real environment. It will also support university research programs, provide cutting-edge technology and platforms, and inspire innovation by conducting industry and university collaborative projects and research.

Dr. Khalid Al Ali, assistant undersecretary for higher education in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education said, “We are highly encouraged to see our universities and the private sector coming together to advance education. We recognize that the public sector alone would struggle to meet the talent demand of the digital economy. But forging such partnerships elevate the skillsets of our youth and, in turn, helps build a competitive economy that can respond faster to market demand and global trends.”

Dr. Khalid Naji, Dean of the College of Engineering at QU, said, “As our country’s leading university, we are at the forefront of Qatar’s efforts to develop a highly-skilled labor force. Partnering with Huawei exposes our students to the latest advances in ICT while equipping them with real-world skills that meet the demands of a digital economy. We will continue to explore further areas of cooperation as demand for digital skills accelerates.”     

Liam Zhao, CEO of Huawei Gulf North, said, “Huawei has a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship with the State of Qatar and various public and private organizations. The opening of the AI Lab deepens this relationship while helping the country deepen its ICT talent ecosystem. We are confident the ICT Academy and the AI Lab will make a significant contribution in enabling the country to attain its objectives.”   

As a leading global ICT solution provider, Huawei advocates for an open, shared ICT talent ecosystem that benefits all parties. Over the past nine years, Huawei has built a talent supply chain covering the entire learning, certification, and employment process by deepening the cooperation mechanism between universities and enterprises, promoting industry development, and innovating talent development models based on enterprise requirements.