Journalist |
Editor | Wen Shuqi
On August 28th, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, Eric Xu, took the stage at the HarmonyOS Ecosystem Conference for the third time. His message was clear and definitive: the HarmonyOS ecosystem has firmly established its footing in China.
According to Huawei, as of August 20th, the number of devices running HarmonyOS 6 has exceeded 80 million, with projections to break the 100 million mark in the fourth quarter of this year. Xu emphasized that Huawei, using domestic chips and the HarmonyOS ecosystem, has achieved the number one shipment share in the domestic market. He likened this feat, achieved under ongoing sanctions, to “changing the engine mid-flight.”
Xu regards 100 million users as the ecosystem’s critical tipping point. In Huawei’s assessment, 1 million users are enough to validate system capabilities, 10 million users to expose experience issues, but it takes 100 million users to create the conditions for developers to form a sustainable commercial loop. This year, that goal of a commercial loop is within sight.
Huawei also unveiled other impressive stats for the HarmonyOS ecosystem. On the app front, there are now over 100,000 native HarmonyOS apps, with more than 400,000 apps accessible on HarmonyOS phones. On the device front, the OpenHarmony ecosystem has surpassed 1.3 billion devices, supported by a community of over 13,000 contributors and 650+ partners, which has spawned more than 100 industry-specific distributions.
With mobile apps gradually filling the gap, the spotlight at this year’s conference has visibly shifted towards OpenHarmony and device manufacturers – essentially, the B2B side of HarmonyOS. This market is more fragmented and long-tailed than mobile apps. Its goal is to replace systems like Linux, Android, and RTOS used in various industry devices, providing a unified foundation for terminals in sectors like home appliances, transportation, energy, healthcare, and industry.
In its early days, despite technical advantages like distributed architecture, unified connectivity, and cross-device collaboration, OpenHarmony faced significant commercialization hurdles. One vendor providing adaptation services for OpenHarmony devices previously voiced this dilemma to NUPIAO: “Why would anyone switch from a perfectly good free Android to a paid HarmonyOS? It’s a commercial paradox.”
This sounds like a classic ‘chicken-and-egg’ problem: device makers worry about the lack of apps and services, while developers worry about the insufficient user and device base. Industry partners are willing to adapt, but small-scale pilots rarely cover the R&D and migration costs. So for a long time, the OpenHarmony ecosystem relied on “passion projects,” struggling to recoup costs through orders and sales in the short term.
But at this year’s conference, the atmosphere had clearly changed. Many partner companies were sending the same signal: their collaboration with OpenHarmony now comes with concrete product and shipment plans, and they are starting to seriously care about commercial returns.
For instance, NIU Technologies announced plans to mass-install OpenHarmony across its mainstream N, Z, and F series e-scooters, aiming to cover 200,000 vehicles within the year. The system will adapt to 5 types of in-vehicle screen specs and integrate services like AutoNavi (Amap) and iFlytek. Consumer medical device company Cofoe Medical also confirmed integrating 17 products across 5 major categories with OpenHarmony. Midea, meanwhile, plans to roll out over 10 million OpenHarmony-enabled home appliances by 2026.
To further bolster this positive commercial cycle, the Global Intelligent Internet of Things Consortium (GIIC) and Huawei jointly launched the “Hongtu Plan” for industry chain partners. Under this plan, small and standard system development boards that pass evaluation and meet commercial conditions can receive incentives of 480,000 RMB and 1.5 million RMB respectively. Unified testing allows for obtaining three certificates at once, with testing cycles and costs expected to drop by 30%. Products reaching shipment thresholds can also receive per-unit subsidies, with each partner eligible for up to 8 million RMB.
Subsidies are just the first step; the real key is finding a sustainable revenue model, which is the core reason device makers are willing to collaborate with OpenHarmony. Another common goal is transforming connected devices into service gateways, reducing their dependence on one-time hardware sales.
Goldcard Smart Group is a digital energy solutions provider. For every three smart gas meters sold nationwide, one might come from Goldcard. Ma Libo, General Manager of Goldcard’s Ecosystem Business, noted that as urbanization slows, growth from new gas users is shrinking, yet government demands for gas safety are rising.
Currently, the IoT pathways for gas equipment in each household are isolated. Coordinating alarms, meters, and valves requires repeated adaptation. Goldcard is exploring using OpenHarmony to connect these devices. For example, in a gas leak, the alarm could trigger the gas meter to shut the valve, open window openers, and send alerts to the user and maintenance staff. Or, if a user has left home while the stove is still on, the gas meter could proactively send a reminder.
This is also why partner companies are choosing OpenHarmony. Hardware sales only provide a one-time revenue, but the data and services enabled by connectivity offer the potential for a long-term business. Cui Zhen, Vice President of Haier Smart Home, also mentioned plans to expand home appliance business into areas like home energy, health, safety, and eldercare.
This, in turn, makes OpenHarmony more attractive. The adaptation service vendor mentioned earlier said that over the past year, their clientele has gradually shifted from government and state-owned enterprises to private companies. “In the past, many clients were driven by domestic substitution policies due to migration costs. Now, many private firms are choosing OpenHarmony for purely commercial reasons. That’s a very significant signal.”
“In some cases, the domestic tech halo might speed things up. But in actual business, domestic substitution is never the reason a client buys. We never advocate domestic tech for its own sake; we need to find genuine commercial value,” said Luo Minqing, General Manager of Run Kai Hong, an OpenHarmony commercial distribution provider, in a previous interview with NUPIAO.
At the conference, Eric Xu identified AI experiences and globalization as the next two major tests for HarmonyOS. Six years in, HarmonyOS has completed large-scale technical and product validation. The next phase will be a direct examination of commercial results: actual device shipments, sustained user engagement, and stable income for developers and industry partners.
Policy support and subsidies can help HarmonyOS clear the early adoption hurdles, but the ecosystem’s long-term growth ultimately hinges on real, tangible profits. The commercial returns partners achieve will be the most important proof that the HarmonyOS ecosystem is here to stay.
