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UK and France on the map for Huawei
Back in 2018, Huawei acquired 500 acres of land in Cambridge. Now the first phase of the Huawei Campus was approved by the local council and the company is gearing up to start the expansion. Adding to that, in late February, the Chinese telecom giant said it intends to build an automated factory will focus on 4G and 5G equipment in France.
This new UK facility, an R&D and manufacturing centre will be located in the heart of the UK’s ‘Silicon Fen’ and focus on researching, developing, and manufacturing optoelectronics products.
Huawei will invest GBP 1 billion in the first phase of the project, which includes construction of 50,000 square metres of facilities across nine acres of land and will directly create around 400 local jobs, the company states in a press release. Once fully operational, it will become the international headquarters of Huawei’s optoelectronics business.
The first phase of the project will focus on the research, development, and manufacturing of optical devices and modules.
“It’s the perfect location for this integrated innovation campus. Through close collaboration with research institutes, universities, and local industry, we want to advance optical communications technology for the industry as a whole, while doing our part to support the UK’s broader Industrial Strategy. Ultimately, we want to help enshrine the UK’s leading position in optoelectronics and promote UK tech on a global scale,” said Victor Zhang, Vice President of Huawei, in the press release.
In February, Huawei announced its intention to invest over EUR 200 million in a new factory in France. However, while the company was opened about the scope and size of the investment, it was rather quiet about where it will be situated and when it might be operational.
In the press release regarding the expansion in France, the Chinese company said that it estimates that the project will generate EUR1 billion worth of products annually and directly create 500 jobs.
The wireless communications equipment produced by this – to be constructed – plant will be mainly used in Europe.