Huawei's Bob Chen Urges Three 'R's to Reshape Networks for AI
At the Broadband Development Congress during Network X 2026 in Vienna, Huawei executive Bob Chen outlined a three-part rethink of network architecture, business models and operations.
Bob Chen, president of Huawei's optical business unit, used a keynote at the Broadband Development Congress to argue that network thinking must be rebuilt around three "R"s in the AI era: rebuilding network architecture, reshaping the business model, and redefining network O&M. The congress was held by the World Broadband Association during Network X 2026 in Vienna, according to zdnet.co.kr.
Chen's keynote, titled "Reshaping Network Value for New Growth in the AI Era," pointed to the scale of the shift. Large AI models' parameters now approach 10 trillion, he said, and token usage grew nearly 50-fold over the past year.
He also said the number of AIDCs has grown nearly tenfold with AI's rise, and that traffic is now determined by computing power rather than population. Zhongwei in China, he noted, went from about 0.1% of national traffic to become one of China's eight national computing hubs, with intelligent computing traffic exceeding 10% of national bandwidth.
On the operational side, Chen said AI-based Wi-Fi tuning can raise Wi-Fi speed by about 20% in interference-heavy environments, while AI-based energy saving can cut equipment total energy consumption by more than 20%.
Three decades of service shifts
Chen framed the current moment against the past 30 years, saying networks supported each leap in services from voice to internet to video.
Quick answers
Where did Huawei's Bob Chen give his keynote?
At the Broadband Development Congress, held by the World Broadband Association during Network X 2026 in Vienna.
What are the three 'R's Chen called for?
Rebuilding network architecture, reshaping the business model, and redefining network O&M.
What figures did Chen cite on AI growth?
He said large AI models' parameters now approach 10 trillion, token usage grew nearly 50-fold over the past year, and the number of AIDCs has grown nearly tenfold.