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The pandemic has brought ICT to the forefront as a critical enabler of business continuity, says Hou Tao, vice president of Huawei Technologies

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What has been the effect of the pandemic on technology?

The pandemic has had a dramatic impact on our society. Looking at the role of technology during the pandemic, it’s clear that it marked the great convergence of the digital and physical worlds. One of them is the acceleration of digital processes, whereby years of innovation have been squeezed into one year. We will soon find ourselves in a fully-connected society where digital technology and intelligence are key drivers for socio-economic development.

Also, we have seen the acceleration of intelligent processes. Today, a body temperature detection machine can measure 10 people per second simultaneously, much faster than the manual process. This innovation has proved crucial in mitigating the effects of Covid-19.

There has also been a rapid adoption of production automation. Today, 67 per cent of enterprises have adopted automated production, such as unmanned vehicles within the logistics sector. Additionally, online learning has become the new normal, and we witnessed more than 100 million students receiving their education through online platforms during the pandemic.