Huawei Technologies recorded revenue exceeding 880 billion yuan (approximately $127 billion) in 2025, the second-highest figure in the company’s history, executive chairman Liang Hua disclosed Tuesday, at the Guangdong High-Quality Development Conference.
The result underpins Huawei’s sustained recovery and operational strength despite ongoing U.S. sanctions that have severely restricted its access to advanced semiconductors and global markets since 2019.
Liang, according to SCMP, emphasized that Huawei maintained steady operations throughout 2025, continuing to deliver globally competitive products and services. The 880+ billion yuan figure trails only the company’s all-time high of 891 billion yuan in 2020 — achieved just before the first major wave of U.S. restrictions crippled its smartphone and international businesses.
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In 2024, revenue surpassed 860 billion yuan, marking consistent year-on-year growth and a return to near-peak performance.
Smartphone Market Leadership Regained
In the consumer segment, Huawei reclaimed the top position in mainland China’s smartphone market in 2025 with a 16.4% share, narrowly edging out Apple’s 16.2%, according to IDC data. This marked the first time Huawei led the domestic market for a full year since 2020, when U.S. sanctions cut off access to Google’s Android ecosystem and advanced chip manufacturing.
The comeback is powered by Huawei’s proprietary HarmonyOS operating system, which has rapidly gained traction. Liang reported that devices running HarmonyOS 5 and the newly released HarmonyOS 6 now exceed 40 million units, supported by more than 75,000 compatible apps and services. HarmonyOS has expanded far beyond smartphones into finance, power grids, energy, transportation, telecommunications, and other critical sectors, demonstrating broad ecosystem adoption.
HarmonyOS Ecosystem and Open-Source Push
Liang stressed that building a robust tech ecosystem requires more than isolated technological breakthroughs.
“It is not merely a competition between individual technologies or companies,” he said. “It requires empowering the industrial ecosystem through open-source collaboration and cooperative innovation.”
He called on developers and partners to join HarmonyOS, “pooling their industry-wide expertise to drive deep integration between technological and industrial innovation,” ultimately fostering convergence between the real and digital economies for global win-win outcomes.
Beyond consumer devices, Huawei has aggressively expanded its artificial intelligence infrastructure business, centered on its in-house Ascend AI chips. Liang revealed that at least 43 mainstream large AI models have been pre-trained on Ascend hardware, while over 200 open-source models are now compatible with the Ascend ecosystem. This progress positions Huawei as a leading domestic alternative in AI compute amid U.S. restrictions on Nvidia’s advanced GPUs.
Government Support and National Strategy Alignment
China’s Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Ke Jixin, also speaking at the conference, outlined nationwide efforts to deepen “informatisation and industrialization” integration. Key priorities include the “AI+Manufacturing” initiative, smart manufacturing upgrades, and industrial internet innovation — all areas where Huawei’s technologies play a central role.
Huawei’s recovery reflects strategic adaptation to U.S. sanctions imposed since 2019, which targeted its access to advanced chips, Google services, and global markets. The company shifted focus to domestic innovation (HarmonyOS, Ascend chips), enterprise solutions, and emerging markets, while leveraging China’s massive internal demand and government support.
The 2025 revenue milestone — achieved despite persistent external constraints — demonstrates Huawei’s ability to maintain scale and technological relevance. Liang’s emphasis on ecosystem collaboration and cost-effective, secure AI solutions aligns with China’s broader push for technological self-reliance and leadership in the “Intelligence Revolution.”
Huawei’s performance stands in contrast to challenges faced by some Western tech firms amid AI disruption concerns. The company’s focus on enterprise-grade, sovereign-capable solutions — particularly in regulated sectors — has helped insulate it from consumer-facing volatility while capitalizing on China’s domestic AI build-out.
The announcement reinforces Huawei’s position as a cornerstone of China’s AI and digital infrastructure ambitions, even as global competition intensifies. With HarmonyOS adoption accelerating and Ascend chips powering dozens of large models, Huawei is increasingly central to Beijing’s strategy of reducing dependence on foreign technology while expanding influence in emerging markets.
As China continues to host high-profile AI events (including the ongoing AI Impact Summit) and attract global partnerships, Huawei’s 2025 results signal that sanctions — while painful — have not derailed its long-term trajectory. The company’s ability to innovate under pressure and build domestic ecosystems has emboldened Beijing to push further for self-reliance and technological sovereignty.