Huawei gets serious about U.S. market, sets up shop in Silicon Valley

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has been known for their midrange smartphones aimed at emerging markets, but all that is set to change. Not only will Huawei debut its top of the line quad-core D1 Q Android handset at MWC, but they plan to set up shop in Silicon Valley with a serious R&D facility.

The move will see Huawei relocate their North American R&D headquarters from Plano, Texas to Santa Clara, California. They will also be adding 500 more jobs, bringing their North American presence to 600. That’s on top of the nearly $4 billion a year Huawei currently spends on global R&D, and it’s a smart move.

It’s no secret to our readers that a huge amount of the tech world centers on the fertile lowlands of Silicon Valley; this move demonstrates a high level of commitment, not merely because of the headcount increase and monetary outlay, but also a willingness on the part of Huawei to compete for talent where the competition is strongest, rather than relying solely on home grown talent.

Which is not to knock home-grown talent; there are many excellent mobile manufacturing companies in China, Korea, and elsewhere that are “home grown”. But in the fiercely competitive smartphone world a company has to be willing to hire the best talent wherever they can find it.

It looks like Huawei is making a long-term commitment to bringing premium phones to North America, and they’re going to go toe to toe with the big dogs to do it. We wish them luck, as more competition will ultimately benefit you, the consumer.

source: Fierce Wireless via electronista