Huawei’s Derek Collins on why we’re in the midst of an ‘intelligent revolution’ and where Ireland stands in the global R&D space.
“A decade ago, R&D was characterised by more siloed, discipline-specific research,” says Huawei’s Derek Collins. “Today, it is interdisciplinary, collaborative and deeply integrated with AI and big data.
“The pace of discovery has quickened significantly, supported by computational advancements and global collaboration.”
Collins is director of industry engagement and research collaboration at Huawei Ireland, and has more than two decades of experience working in the ICT and R&D sectors across the US, Asia and Europe.
In his role, he leads Huawei Ireland’s research collaboration and industry engagement efforts. As Collins explains to SiliconRepublic.com, Huawei Ireland conducts R&D efforts across three sites in Dublin, Athlone and Cork.
Through seven research teams, the company’s Irish operation is investigating topics such as AI and machine learning, cloud computing, gaming, 6G and natural language processing.
Collins believes that we are currently in the midst of an “intelligent revolution”, akin to previous industrial transformations seen throughout history. And core to this revolution, he says, is AI.
“AI is becoming central to almost every field, including healthcare, telecommunications and climate science,” he says. “This is leading to an information explosion that challenges even fundamental theories like Nyquist’s Law and Von Neumann architectures.”
In fact, Collins says that Huawei has invested more than 20pc of its annual sales revenue into R&D for the past three years “to ensure competitiveness with AI bringing new opportunities which could lead to growth, as AI will be a core capability of all future devices”.
But while the research landscape looks set to evolve considerably, Collins says a few barriers exist that challenge modern innovation – namely, resource constraints like AI energy demands, data security and talent retention.
Derek Collins. Image: Huawei
Trends of the future
As the research landscape continues to evolve, Collins says there are a few specific trends that he’s particularly excited about, such as the shift towards responsible AI and the rise of precision medicine.
One trend that he’s watching closely is the increased usage of AI in climate science, as seen in Huawei’s Pangu-Weather system – which uses AI and 3D technology to increase accuracy in weather forecasting.
“The next iteration of this model is the Pangu 5.0 foundation model, which has been deployed across more than 30 industries and 400 application scenarios, powering digital transformation and operational efficiency in sectors like steel, manufacturing and rail, demonstrating the multi-use cases for AI models,” says Collins.
For R&D as a discipline, Collins predicts that the space is going to become “hyper-collaborative”, with shared infrastructure and cross-border alliances, as well as more focused on sustainability, as he foresees R&D playing a crucial role in green energy and resource efficiency.
Ireland’s capabilities
In terms of R&D prowess, Collins says that Ireland “stands as a strong force” on the global stage. Key to Ireland’s research strengths, he says, are its talent pool, the quality of its research institutions and a forward-thinking policy environment.
He references Clarivate’s most recent list of Highly Cited Researchers as evidence of this aptitude, which featured 32 Ireland-based academics such as Trinity College Dublin’s Prof Valeria Nicolosi and University of Limerick’s Prof Maurice Collins.
As well as this, events such as the recent Research Ireland Forum have highlighted the country’s ambition and commitment to “long-term scientific and societal advancement”.
“However, ambition must be matched by investment,” he says, pointing to recent warnings from business group Ibec that Ireland’s current public funding model falls short of its aspirations.
According to Ibec, to safeguard Ireland’s R&D capabilities, the country must increase public investment in research and innovation to 1pc of its gross national income by 2035.
“While Ireland is ranked seventh on the European Innovation Scoreboard and classified as a ‘Strong Innovator’, it risks falling behind unless public funding catches up with that of peer nations like the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, which have increased their research budgets by 20-40pc in recent years,” says Collins.
“Ireland has the potential not only to lead in science and technology but also to shape global standards across the arts, humanities, agriculture and the creative industries,” he adds. “To seize this opportunity, we must forge a new social pact: one that aligns talent, investment and policy to build a more dynamic, equitable and resilient society – powered by research and driven by purpose.”
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