• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • About Us
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Parcel & Express
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Robotics
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Customer Relationship Management
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • Green Energy
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Management & Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Warehouse Automation
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • WHITEPAPERS
  • VIDEOS
Home » Logistics » The Trade War Didn't Stop a Google and Huawei AI Collaboration

The Trade War Didn't Stop a Google and Huawei AI Collaboration

The Trade War Didn't Stop a Google and Huawei AI Collaboration
April 3, 2019
Bloomberg

When Huawei announced its latest smartphone last week, the world’s largest telecommunications gear maker also shared another product. Track AI promises to pair software with Huawei devices to let “non-trained professionals” diagnose eye conditions.

Missing from the Chinese company’s announcement was Google’s work behind the scenes.

Huawei Technologies Co. built Track AI using TensorFlow, a set of AI software tools from Alphabet Inc.’s Google. TensorFlow is also open-source, so anyone, anywhere can use it and Google can’t control access.

However, a creative team that works with Google’s advertising clients also provided marketing help to Huawei, according to Google spokesman Chris Brummitt. These teams regularly work with Google clients to “make the most of what’s possible with technology, leading to ideas like this one,” Brummitt added, while stressing that no Google engineers worked on the project. A Huawei spokesman confirmed the partnership.

The Track AI initiative is not a major strategic priority for either of the technology giants but it does underscore the important business relationships that Google has been trying to build with Chinese companies like Huawei for decades.

Artificial intelligence is a major investment area for both companies, and health-care diagnostics is one of the ripest fields for image-recognition software. Yet the collaboration happened during a particularly fraught moment. Huawei is a pariah for the Trump Administration amid concerns it could pose a threat to national security and be a vehicle for Beijing’s spying, allegations the company has consistently denied. Google’s AI efforts in China are the subject of scathing criticism from the U.S. military.

Google’s support for Track AI may be tied to the U.S. company’s huge advertising business, which caters to Chinese companies looking to reach customers outside the country even as its search business remains blocked on the mainland. While Google doesn’t disclose how much revenue it generates in China, Asia accounted for about 15 percent of revenue last year.

Huawei and Google have also worked closely in the past. The Shenzhen-based company’s phones use Google’s Android software and, outside of China, rely heavily on the U.S. firm’s apps including search, Chrome and Maps. In 2015, the Chinese manufacturer designed a model of the Nexus smartphones, which Google co-marketed.

Last June, the corporate friendship fell under political fire. Five U.S. Senators wrote a letter to Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai saying the company’s partnership with Huawei “could pose a serious risk to U.S. national security and American consumers.”

Pichai met last week with a top military official and President Donald Trump, who have both criticized the tech giant for its work in China.

Politics have done little to dent Huawei’s growth. Last week, the company posted a 25 percent jump in annual profit despite concern about the security of its telecommunications network products.

    RELATED CONTENT

    RELATED VIDEOS

    Logistics Technology Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain) Business Strategy Alignment Healthcare High-Tech/Electronics Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    KEYWORDS Big Data/IOT Business Strategy Alignment healthcare High-Tech/Electronics Pharmaceutical/Biotech Technology
    • Related Articles

      Will the Trade War Force a Rethinking of High-Tech Sourcing Strategies?

      The Trade War of 2018: Report From the Front

      The Trade War Spurs China’s Technology Innovators Into Overdrive

    • Related Directories

      Tecsys, Inc.

      ProcureAbility

    Bloomberg

    UAE Shuts More Beaches as It Deals with Oil Spill in Gulf

    More from this author

    Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

    Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

    Featured Product

    Popular Stories

    • AERIAL VIEW OF A SHIPYARD SUPERIMPOSED WITH CYBERSECURITY SYMBOLS

      The Software Risk Hiding in Modern Supply Chains

      Business Strategy Alignment
    • On Demand Webinar Peak Zebra - SupplyChainBrain Webinar - Thu Oct 22 2026 2p ET.png

      RFID and Machine Vision are Having a Moment

      Webinars
    • GEARS MANUFACTURING iStock-bernie_photo-2219946641.jpg

      Five Current Challenges Preventing Real-Time Visibility in Connected Manufacturing

      Last Mile Delivery
    • A table titled "Transportation Nexus Assessment" that lays out a list of companies and scores them based on a series of weighted categories

      Better Supply Chains Releases Framework for Evaluating TMS Systems

      Technology
    • RAIN-SLICKED TRAFFIC AT NIGHT UNDER THE GLOWING FACE OF LONDON'S BIG BEN CLOCK

      Supply Chain Resilience Can Fight the Hidden Cost of Congestion

      LTL/Truckload Services

    Digital Edition

    Scb q3 26 cover

    100 Great Supply Chain Partners 2026: The Secret to Supply Chain Success

    VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

    Case Studies

    • Recycled Tagging Fasteners: Small Changes Make a Big Impact

    • A GRAPHIC SHOWING MULTIPLE FORMS OF SHIPPING, WITH A HUMAN STANDING AT THE CENTER, TOUCHING A SYMBOLIC MAP OF THE WORLD

      Enhancing High-Value Electronics Shipment Security with Tive's Real-Time Tracking

    • A GRAPHIC OF INTERLACING HONEYCOMBED ELEMENTS REPRESENTING GLOBAL BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS

      Moving Robots Site-to-Site

    • JLL Finds Perfect Warehouse Location, Leading to $15M Grant for Startup

    • Robots Speed Fulfillment to Help Apparel Company Scale for Growth

    Visit Our Sponsors

    4flow Amazon Freight Anaplan
    Arkieva AutoStore Blue Yonder
    Canadian National Railway Company Carton Cloud CoEnterprise
    Dassault Descartes Dexory
    Duravant E2Open EPG
    General Logistics Systems GEP Hy-Tek
    iGPS Knapp Korber
    Lyngsoe Odyssey Logistics OMP
    PeakAI Procurability Quinyx
    SAP Sikick Staples
    S&P Global Mobility Systech TADA
    Tive TransImpact US Bank
    Werner WSI
    • More From SCB
      • Featured Content
      • Video Library
      • Think Tank Blog
      • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
      • Whitepapers
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
    • Digital Offerings
      • Digital Issue
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Email Preferences
      • Newsletters
    • Resources
      • Events Calendar
      • 2026 Event Coverage
      • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
      • Supplier Directory
      • Case Study Showcase
      • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
      • 100 Great Partners Form
    • SCB Corporate
      • Advertise on SCB.COM
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Data Sharing Opt-Out

    All content copyright ©2026 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing