(Yicai) March 5 -- More than 300 Chinese companies are participating in the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, showcasing their progress in artificial intelligence and fifth- and sixth-generation wireless networks.

This latest edition of the world’s largest mobile and telecommunications conference has attracted around 2,700 global enterprises, Yicai learned. The four-day event is set to conclude tomorrow.

At the annual event, Yicai observed that AI is a key focus for device manufacturers such as Huawei Technologies, Lenovo Group, Honor, Samsung Electronics, and Xiaomi, as well as telecom companies like China Unicom, Qualcomm, Ericsson, and Nokia.

Steve Long, senior vice president of Lenovo, told Yicai that while MWC used to be a major telecom industry event, it now emphasizes what people can achieve through technology. He added that AI is transforming the perspectives of device manufacturers, cloud service providers, and network operators.

During the event, Lenovo launched a series of AI-equipped devices, ranging from personal computers to inference servers. Visitors were particularly intrigued by two conceptual products: an organic light-emitting diode foldable laptop and an ultra-thin solar-powered PC.

Long predicted that global PC demand would rise significantly in 2025, driven not only by upcoming equipment upgrades and the end of Windows 10 services but also by new market opportunities resulting from DeepSeek's breakthrough. The Chinese AI firm has gained global attention with its DeepSeek R1, a powerful and affordable alternative to ChatGPT.

In addition to PCs, AI is making its way into smartphones. Honor showcased the Honor UI Agent, the world’s first personal mobile AI agent based on a graphical user interface rather than one based on text. In the demonstration, the smart assistant booked a restaurant reservation using the phone’s calendar and traffic information along with third-party services. Furthermore, the brand is preparing to introduce its anti-deepfake tool to overseas markets to enhance data security.

5G to 6G

Global economies are accelerating the development of 6G networks, a technology for ultra-fast connectivity that could make holographic calls, connected cars, and augmented reality commonplace. The MWC highlights that 6G is transitioning from laboratory research to prototype validation, one year after 10 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement on 6G principles during MWC 2024.

Huawei is already laying the groundwork for 6G. At the MWC, the company demonstrated the AI-Centric 5.5G solution concept, which combines space-based assets with ground-based infrastructure for more reliable communication services. Over the past year, Huawei’s 5G-Advanced, an upgraded version of 5G, has entered a new phase of scale development, said Li Peng, president of ICT sales and service.

Li predicted that the coexistence of 5G-Advanced and AI will drive double-digit growth in data volume and revenue per user for carriers. He added that the impact of AI on content creation and sharing would cause network traffic to grow faster than Moore’s Law over the next five years. Moore’s Law suggests that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles about every two years due to accelerating technological development.

Editor: Emmi Laine