In a strategic move that underscores its commitment to innovation and excellence, Huawei has announced a significant partnership with Mamelodi Sundowns FC, one of Africa’s most celebrated football clubs. This collaboration, unveiled on April 4, 2025, aligns Huawei’s technological prowess with the club’s relentless pursuit of sporting greatness. The partnership aims to enhance both on-field performance and fan engagement through advanced technological solutions. This news comes amidst Huawei’s impressive financial performance in 2024, marked by a near-record revenue surge and the launch of groundbreaking products like the world’s first tri-fold smartphone, the Huawei Mate XT.
Huawei and Mamelodi Sundowns: A Synergy of Innovation and Excellence
Huawei’s partnership with Mamelodi Sundowns FC was announced with great fanfare, promising to bring innovative solutions to the club’s fans and stakeholders. As the Official Mobile Partner, Huawei aims to leverage its technological expertise to enhance the club’s performance both on and off the pitch. This collaboration includes the use of advanced wearable devices to optimize player training and state-of-the-art connectivity solutions to bring supporters closer to the action. The partnership was celebrated as a significant milestone for Huawei, with the company’s CEO, Peter Feng, expressing excitement about aligning with a club known for its legacy of success and pursuit of greatness (Huawei and Mamelodi Sundowns Kick Off a Powerful Partnership).
Mamelodi Sundowns, currently dominating the African football scene, has won 14 league titles, numerous domestic cups, and three continental titles, including the CAF Champions League, CAF Super Cup, and African Football League. The club’s chairman, Thlopie Motsepe, echoed the sentiment of pushing limits and making a lasting impact through this partnership with Huawei (Mamelodi Sundowns announce new ‘powerful’ partnership).
Huawei’s Financial Performance and Technological Advancements
In its 2024 Annual Report, Huawei reported a revenue of CNY862.1 billion, marking a 22.4% increase from the previous year. This performance was driven by significant growth in its ICT infrastructure and consumer businesses. Despite a 28% decline in net profit to CNY62.6 billion, attributed to increased investments in research and development, Huawei’s R&D spending reached CNY179.7 billion, accounting for 20.8% of its annual revenue. The company’s commitment to R&D over the past decade has amounted to CNY1.249 trillion, underscoring its focus on innovation (Huawei Releases 2024 Annual Report).
Huawei’s consumer business, which includes smartphones and other digital gadgets, saw a 38% revenue increase to CNY339 billion, driven by a strong performance in the Chinese market. The company’s smartphone shipments in China jumped 37% year-on-year, capturing a 16% market share, largely due to the launch of high-end devices like the Huawei Mate XT (Huawei 2024 revenue surges to near-record high as China smartphone comeback takes hold).
The Huawei Mate XT, the world’s first tri-fold smartphone, was introduced to the South African market on the same day as the partnership announcement with Mamelodi Sundowns. This device, available at Huawei’s online store and select retail outlets, transforms from a sleek smartphone into a 10.2-inch tablet, offering versatility for productivity and entertainment. The Mate XT features a 3K Huawei X-True Display, a multi-directional hinge made of ultra-high-strength steel, and a Huawei XMAGE camera system with a 10-step adjustable physical aperture (Huawei Breaks Boundaries with the First-Ever Tri-Fold).
Huawei’s Commitment to Digital Transformation
Huawei’s commitment to driving digital transformation was further highlighted at the Huawei East London Commercial Connect 2025 event, where the company showcased its latest solutions for South Africa’s commercial and SME markets. The event emphasized Huawei’s 25-year presence in South Africa and its efforts to support local businesses and government initiatives in building better network infrastructure. Key discussions focused on the role of technology in various sectors, including education, healthcare, municipal governance, transportation, and artificial intelligence (Huawei East London Commercial Connect 2025).
Additionally, Huawei’s South Africa IT Day 2025 showcased future-proof data storage solutions in the AI era, emphasizing the company’s role in accelerating digital innovation across industries. The event featured presentations on all-flash data centers, virtualization, data protection, and smart office solutions, highlighting Huawei’s commitment to equipping enterprises with innovative technologies to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving IT landscape (Huawei South Africa IT Day 2025 showcases future-proof data storage solutions in the AI era).
Expanding into New Markets
Huawei is also making strides in the electric vehicle (EV) charging sector, with plans to unveil a 1.5 MW supercharger on April 22, 2025. This charger, capable of delivering 20 kWh per minute, is aimed at heavy-duty trucks and is part of Huawei’s broader strategy to support the electrification of transportation. The company’s president of Digital Energy, Hou Jinlong, emphasized the importance of fast charging for the widespread adoption of electric trucks (Huawei to unveil 1.5 MW supercharger on April 22).
In summary, Huawei’s recent announcements and financial performance reflect a company at the forefront of technological innovation and digital transformation. The partnership with Mamelodi Sundowns FC, the launch of the Huawei Mate XT, and the company’s focus on digital solutions for various sectors demonstrate Huawei’s commitment to pushing boundaries and driving progress. As Huawei continues to invest in R&D and expand into new markets, its influence on technology and industry is set to grow even further.
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