Huawei ICT Global Final 2024-25 Concludes in Shenzhen
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The 9th Huawei ICT Competition Global Final 2024-2025 concluded in Shenzhen, China, with a vibrant closing ceremony and awards presentation.
Huawei revealed that 16 teams from nine Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA) countries took part in the final round. The countries included Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Participants competed across two categories—Innovation Track and Practice Track. The teams won four first prizes, four second prizes, and eight third prizes.
Huawei reported that the finalists advanced from a regional selection process that drew over 31,000 university students and faculty from more than 640 institutions across 19 ME&CA countries.
In total, 62 students and faculty made up the 16 qualified teams. These participants demonstrated strong technical skills and innovation capabilities at the Global Final.
The Comsats University Islamabad team from Pakistan secured first prize in the Innovation Track. Qatar University of Doha for Science and Technology received second prize for its 'BeMySense' project. The AI-driven platform uses computer vision and natural language processing to support real-time sign language and voice interaction.
Third prizes went to team Volta from Uzbekistan and team NABEEH from Saudi Arabia.
A member of the Qatar team shared their appreciation, stating the Huawei ICT platform was a valuable learning and competition experience. The team also praised the opportunity to engage with international participants.
Huawei presented the 'Women in Tech' award to the all-female NABEEH team from Saudi Arabia. The company also revealed its Green Development Awards, recognizing teams using technology to tackle environmental challenges.
In the Practice Track:
First prizes in the Network category went to teams from Bahrain, Kazakhstan, and Jordan.
Pakistan secured third place in the same category.
Kazakhstan and Pakistan won second prizes in the Computing Track.
Lebanon and Iraq earned third place in the Computing Track.
Lebanon also claimed second place in the Cloud Track, with Pakistan, Iraq, and Kazakhstan receiving third.
Huawei announced that diplomatic officials attended the awards ceremony. Representatives from the Embassy of Kazakhstan and the Saudi Consulate General in Guangzhou presented awards to their national teams.
A roundtable forum, led by Tavsultanova Tamara of Huawei's ICT Talent Partner Development Department, explored educational trends and innovation. It featured experts from government, academia, and industry, including Dr. Omar Alzubi from Al Balqa Applied University, Jordan.
Additionally, the 2025 Huawei Most Valuable Instructor Forum was held on May 21. Huawei reported that the event brought together nearly 200 ICT Academy teachers and industry experts. They shared teaching practices and discussed school-enterprise collaboration.
Mardin Anwer from Salahaddin University showcased her achievements after a global selection process. Huawei awarded 18 instructors from 10 countries the title of Most Valuable Instructor.
Aigul Izdenova from the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan delivered a keynote. She highlighted how the 'AI-Sana' program supports AI startups and educational reform.
Dr. Mohamed Madkour, Vice President of ICT Strategy & Marketing at Huawei ME&CA, said the competition demonstrated how students use emerging technologies to solve global challenges. He emphasized the role of AI, cloud computing, and big data in transforming industries while promoting sustainability and digital inclusion.
Huawei also hosted the AI Accelerating Education Transformation Summit during the event. It announced the AI Capability of the Huawei ICT Academy Intelligent Platform.
Participants visited Huawei's Ox Horn Campus and Exhibition Hall to explore its latest research and ICT practices.
Since its launch in 2015, the Huawei ICT Competition has engaged over 960,000 students and faculty members. Participants have come from more than 2,000 institutions across 100 countries and regions.
Huawei revealed that the competition is listed on China's national university competition list and is part of UNESCO's Global Skills Academy. It aims to meet the growing demand for professionals in AI, big data, and cybersecurity through multi-track contests, academic collaboration, and curriculum development.
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AI isn't one-size-fits-all. Different industries require customised models with varying scales and capabilities. A solution that works for one business may not fit another, so customisation is critical. . AI isn't one-size-fits-all. Different industries require customised models with varying scales and capabilities. A solution that works for one business may not fit another, so customisation is critical. Second, data quality . AI thrives on high-quality data, but many enterprises struggle with unstructured, incomplete, or siloed data. Cleansing and processing this data often require significant time and resources before AI can even be deployed. . AI thrives on high-quality data, but many enterprises struggle with unstructured, incomplete, or siloed data. Cleansing and processing this data often require significant time and resources before AI can even be deployed. Third, specialisation . While general-purpose AI models are useful, they often fall short in core production systems. Enterprises need domain-specific AI models fine-tuned for their unique operational needs—which require deep expertise and investment. . While general-purpose AI models are useful, they often fall short in core production systems. Enterprises need domain-specific AI models fine-tuned for their unique operational needs—which require deep expertise and investment. Finally, limited AI computing power. Many regions, including Central Asia, still face infrastructure constraints. Training and running advanced AI models require high compute resources, which can be a barrier for enterprises that has no access to scalable cloud or on-premise solutions. Overcoming these challenges will require collaboration—between businesses, governments, and tech providers. The potential is huge, but success depends on tackling these hurdles strategically. Today, AI is a hot topic. From your point of view, how can Huawei Cloud help enterprises leverage AI technology effectively? AI is indeed transforming industries worldwide, and enterprises looking to harness its power need a partner that simplifies adoption while maximising value. At Huawei Cloud, we enable businesses to leverage AI effectively through three key strengths. First, abundant AI computing power . Many companies struggle with the high cost and complexity of building AI infrastructure. Huawei Cloud provides instant access to massive computing resources—eliminating the need for costly data center upgrades. Businesses can focus on innovation while we handle the operational maintenance, ensuring zero downtime and seamless scalability. . Many companies struggle with the high cost and complexity of building AI infrastructure. Huawei Cloud provides instant access to massive computing resources—eliminating the need for costly data center upgrades. Businesses can focus on innovation while we handle the operational maintenance, ensuring zero downtime and seamless scalability. Second, our AI development and data governance platforms —ModelArts and DataArts. ModelArts is a one-stop platform for AI development, offering tools for model deployment, fine-tuning, evaluation, and compression. DataArts is a one-stop data governance platform that streamlines data governance and ensure efficient data provisioning. —ModelArts and DataArts. is a one-stop platform for AI development, offering tools for model deployment, fine-tuning, evaluation, and compression. is a one-stop data governance platform that streamlines data governance and ensure efficient data provisioning. Third, diverse AI models. We support not only Huawei's Pangu models but also leading third-party foundation models like DeepSeek and Qwen. Through our professional services, enterprises can deploy these models as 'ready-for-service' solutions, accelerating time-to-value without the hassle of complex integrations. With Huawei Cloud, enterprises don't just adopt AI—they scale it with confidence. Whether it's computing power or pre-trained models, we are here to turn AI potential into real-world success. Can you share about the progress of Huawei Cloud in the Middle East and Central Asia region, and also any successful cases in the Central Asia region? In Middle East and Central Asia, we have supported more than 900 customers and more than 400 partners across industries from government, education, logistics, carriers, and cloud native. These growth are the testament that we have gained the trust of customers and partners from the region by providing innovative solutions, cloud services with exceptional performance, and reliable services. For example: In Logistics, For SMSA, a leading Saudi Arabia logistics provider, we provided innovative solutions to explore new business model, and deployed a unified cloud platform that integrated different data systems. This enabled operational efficiency, efficient decision-making driven by data, and lower total cost ownership (TCO). In Gaming, We also empowered a top gaming company by providing cloud services with exceptional performance through Huawei Cloud platform, ensuring ultra-low latency to meet application latency requirements for ultra-smooth game experience. In Government, Additionally, in Saudi Arabia, we partnered with a key government agency to ensure 24/7 uninterrupted services. Through Huawei Cloud's reliable services and dedicated team, we helped them achieve zero downtime, while client of another cloud vendor faced a 20-hour downtime. As Central Asia and the Middle East continue their digital journey, we are committed to being the trusted cloud and AI partner that helps governments and enterprises innovate, scale, and lead. Image Credit: Huawei
