Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing’s 5 Boldest Statements From Transform 2.0

Taking Center Stage

Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing says the company can "claim leadership" in what he dubs the “intelligent transformation” era, which is being driven by computing power, artificial intelligence and data-driven technology.

"What's clear to me is that the last few years of purposeful disruption in technology has led us to a point where we can now claim leadership of the coming intelligent transformation," said Yang, in front of more than 1,000 partners, customers and executives during his keynote at Lenovo Transform 2.0 in New York on Thursday.

The event featured a slew of new product announcements as well as a blockbuster storage partnership unveiling with NetApp, which included new co-developed solutions. On stage, Yang spoke about his company's leadership position around 5G and Lenovo's technology strategy aimed at data, computing and advanced algorithms.

Here are the five boldest statements from Yang’s keynote at Lenovo Transform 2.0.

Claiming Leadership

What's clear to me is that the last few years of purposeful disruption in technology has led us to a point where we can now claim leadership of the coming intelligent transformation. The intelligent transformation is the unlimited potential of the fourth industrial revolution driven by artificial intelligence being realized. [For example] ordering a pizza through our speaker, unlocking the door with a look, letting your car drive itself back to your home -- these reflect the power of AI but it's just the surface of it. The true impact of AI will not only make our homes smarter and offices more efficient but will also completely transform every industry.

First To 5G

What will drive this transformation even faster is the speed at which our network operates, specifically 5G. Lenovo just launched the first-ever 5G smartphone with our Moto Z3. We are partnering with multiple major network providers like Verizon and China Mobile. With the 5G model to ship earlier next year, we will be the first company to provide a 5G mobile experience to end user customers. This is a major innovation. You don’t have to buy a new phone just for the 5G clip on. 5G is 10 times faster than 4G. The speed will transform how people engage with the world. Driverless cars, new types of smart wearables, gaming, industrial intelligence will all be transformed.

More Data Than Grains Of Sand

There's three key building blocks to [intelligent transformation]: data, computing power and algorithms. What is behind intelligent transformation? What is fueling this miracle of human possibility? It's data. PCs and mobile phones have come online and have been generating data. The number of smart devices globally will reach over 20 billion in 2020, more than double the number in 2017. These devices and sensors are connected and generating massive amounts of data. By 2020, the amount of data generated will be 57 times more than all the grains of sand on Earth. This data will not only make devices smarter, but also fuel the intelligence of our homes, offices and entire industries. There, we need engines to turn the fuel into power and the engine is actually the computing power. … At Lenovo, we have each of these elements of intelligence transformation in a single place. We have built our business around the new structure of intelligent transformation, especially with mobile and the data center now firmly part of our business.

Advanced Algorithms Is A Key Ingredient

We must transform the data and utilize the computing power with advanced algorithms for manufacturing, healthcare, education, retail and more. So many industries are on the edge of intelligent transformation to improve the efficiency and provide better products and services. We are creating advanced algorithms and big data tools, combined with industry know-how, to provide vertical solutions for several industries. … We'll form vertical industry intelligence and produce valuable insights for any value chain in the industry.

Super Computing Titan

The cloud computing data center with storage, server, networking, IoT and mini-servers are making computing available everywhere. Did you know that Lenovo is the number one provider of super computers worldwide? We're currently in 70 of the top 500 super computers. We broke 8 of 9 world records. We're number one in x86 server reliability for five years running. We're also the fastest growing provider of hyper-scale, hyper-converged and aggressively growing the edge computing. … I'm often asked, 'Why did you acquire these businesses? Why has Lenovo gone into so many fields?' People asked the same questions of the companies that have become the leaders in the information technology revolution. There were the companies that saw the future and what the future required. And I believed that Lenovo is that company today.