45 Minutes With Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang: The Chinese Company Is Obsessed With Leading the AI Era

I’m seated in a press room with journalists from around the world, my laptop open and recorder on. Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang and CTO Tolga Kurtoglu are on a panel, and each are about to give nearly an hour of their time. Events like this, featuring top company representatives, are unique and costly. This isn’t an everyday opportunity.

They’re both eager for the questions we’ll ask in the aftermath of Lenovo Tech World ’24, an event that demonstrated Lenovo’s strength in the tech industry. The presence of Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, AMD CEO Lisa Su, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on the main stage, alongside video messages from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, made this a powerhouse event. Even FIFA president Gianni Infantino joined the party.

Yang begins by discussing his relationship with Intel’s Gelsinger. “We started to know each other probably five years ago. Trust is very important for leaders to do business,” he says.

This statement underscores the importance of personal relationships for those at the top in the technology sector, an aspect often underestimated when analyzing corporate partnerships. A short time earlier, Yang hugged Huang and reminisced about stories from many years ago. Chemistry often adds another dimension.

The conversation quickly shifts to hybrid AI, a concept Lenovo is betting on. Yang explains, “There are a lot of challenges for our customers [in choosing] hybrid AI, so the novel has the value there.”

For Lenovo, combining AI in the public cloud with on-premises enterprise models is critical to standing out in a market that’s becoming increasingly saturated with AI solutions—or at least that’s where the company sees the momentum heading.

Kurtoglu, Lenovo’s CTO, delves into the technical aspects, emphasizing the importance of customization and the interface between on-premises and cloud solutions. His explanation highlights that Lenovo isn’t just selling hardware but end-to-end AI solutions. It also makes it clear that the company is focused on delivering that message clearly.

Privacy and data security are recurring themes in the questions the executives receive from reporters. Yang emphasizes Lenovo’s “responsible AI framework” and governance processes. It’s clear that Lenovo is gearing up to take a strong stance on this issue. Without user trust, there will be no mass adoption of AI, let alone investment.

When asked about Lenovo’s differentiation in the AI market, Yang delivers a surprisingly clear and structured answer: “We are the only company with a clear definition of AI PC, with five key features.” This is a bold statement for the PC industry, which is actively searching for new growth drivers and sees AI as the solution.

Yang’s vision of “one personal AI, multiple devices, multiple applications” sounds ambitious but achievable. If Lenovo can execute this strategy, it will secure its place in this space—but it’s not going it alone.

The discussion of proactive vs. reactive AI reveals the depth of Lenovo’s vision. Kurtoglu talks about “engines for intent understanding” and “execution and strategy engines,” concepts that sound futuristic but are already under development in Lenovo’s labs.

When it’s my turn, I ask them what innovation shown in Lenovo Tech World ’24 will impact our daily interaction with technology. After all, Lenovo demonstrated several proofs of concept at the event, including the AI Buddy and other innovations, whose commercial launch—at least in this format—isn’t yet guaranteed.

Yang responds by shifting away from the futuristic concepts and returning to the core tool, the real reason they’re here: computers. “Our PCs will impact everybody’s way to use the PC to improve or enhance the productivity. The screen will have a significant impact in how we use digital tools in the future.” He adds that AI’s benefits will drive the advantages of PCs for both consumers and businesses.

When the 45 minutes of questions conclude, the message is clear: Lenovo isn’t just focused on building infrastructure to support third-party services but is also intent on playing a leading role in what appears on the screen—not only through hardware but with comprehensive business solutions.

Lenovo’s biggest challenge will be executing this strategy in a market where Apple, Google, and Microsoft are fierce competitors. Its ability to innovate in hardware, expertise in enterprise solutions, and focus on hybrid AI will be its key strengths in a battle that has only just begun.

Images | Xataka On

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