Huawei debuts HarmonyOS PC operating system

Chinese tech giant Huawei on Thursday officially introduced its HarmonyOS personal computer (PC) operating system, in a move that Chinese experts said marks a breakthrough in China's push for self-reliance in core technologies and has the potential to break the dominance of Microsoft's Windows and Apple's macOS in desk operating systems.

The tech firm unveiled personal computers that run the company's self-developed operating system, HarmonyOS at the HarmonyOS Computer Technology and Ecosystem Communication Event in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.

It will launch its first line of PCs powered by its HarmonyOS operating system on May 19, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Starting from the prototype of the HarmonyOS PC, Huawei spent five years in development. The debut of HarmonyOS on PCs, following its success on smartphones and tablets, marks the full entry of Huawei's entire range of terminal devices into the HarmonyOS era, according to a media release from Huawei.

The HarmonyOS PC runs on HarmonyOS 5 and deeply integrates artificial intelligence capabilities. Over the past five years, Huawei has invested heavily in developing the HarmonyOS PC, securing more than 2,700 core patents. With the efforts of more than 10,000 top engineers and collaboration with more than 20 research institutions, Huawei has made continuous breakthroughs, the company said.

Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, told the Global Times on Thursday that the debut of HarmonyOS on PCs is a milestone for China's electronic information industry.

Given that computers serve as essential productivity tools, especially in critical sectors such as government institutions, financial systems and national defense, an independently developed operating system can fundamentally mitigate risks like information leakage and backdoor control. This not only significantly elevates national information and economic security but also drives the industry toward self-sufficiency, Xiang said.

A research report by Huaan Securities said that the emergence of HarmonyOS-powered PCs will fill the gap in mainstream domestic computer operating systems that has persisted for more than 30 years, marking a significant step forward for China's electronic information industry.

The global PC operating system market landscape is dominated by Windows, macOS and Linux, the Securities Times reported.

The launch of HarmonyOS on PCs will reduce reliance on these systems, mitigate the risks of supply disruptions and enhance the resilience of China's PC industry against external uncertainties, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The ability of HarmonyOS to seamlessly integrate with other smart devices represents a significant technological leap, Xiang said, and the HarmonyOS PC will enrich user choices.

Some Chinese netizens on Sina Weibo have warmly embraced the debut of Huawei's HarmonyOS 5 on PCs, highlighting the significance of this milestone for China's tech industry.

"Taking the first step is crucial. I'm sure things will only get better from here," one netizen commented.

"Heartfelt congratulations on these new achievements in China's domestic system," said another Chinese netizen on Sina Weibo.

Officially launched in 2019, HarmonyOS was first installed on smartphones in 2021. In September 2023, Huawei announced the full-scale launch of HarmonyOS applications. This means that the HarmonyOS will use a completely self-developed "kernel" and no longer rely on the open-source code of other operating systems during the development process, the People's Daily reported. 

The HarmonyOS ecosystem is used on 1 billion devices, with 7.2 million registered developers and more than 110 million lines of code, according to the report.