Universities collaborate with Huawei despite warnings

The University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands have entered into a close collaboration with controversial Chinese tech company Huawei despite government warnings, reports DutchNews.nl.

The Financieele Dagblad reported the story on Tuesday 25 August. The tech giant, which is widely suspected of spying for the Chinese state, is increasingly unwelcome in most European countries and the universities’ move has divided opinion, the paper said. The deal, signed on 15 May, comprises a €3.5 million (US$4.2 million) payment to both universities which will reportedly be used to finance a lab for the development of artificial intelligence, employing around 100 people. Researchers at the lab will be specifically tasked with developing technology for a search machine for Huawei, which has been banned from using Google on its mobile phones.

The agreement comes despite Dutch government warnings about universities working with Chinese partners because it could result in an “unwanted exchange of knowledge”, potentially causing national security issues and damage to economic interests.
Full report on the DutchNews.nl site