Huawei and Leica Camera AG have announced their strategic partnership to establish a jointly operated research and innovation centre, the ‘Max Berek Innovation Lab’. Seven months back, the two announced their long-term technology partnership in the field of optical engineering. Huawei recently launched P9 and P9 Plus smartphones which featured Leica Camera technology.
The new lab is located at Leica’s global headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany and will result in development of optical systems as well as software-based technologies to improve image capturing quality in devices such as smartphones. This collaboration will also make way for development of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality solutions in future. Huawei and Leica is also planning to collaborate with German and international universities and research institutions in near future.
Ren Zhengfei, CEO of Huawei said in the Press Release: “In the future, over 90 percent of data traffic will be images and videos,” The Max Berek Innovation Lab provides the capacity to establish an even closer partnership with Leica, leading to continuous improvements in image and video quality. As a result, we will deliver the most advanced innovations in the smartphone camera market and bring greater value to consumers.”
“With the founding of the Max Berek Innovation Lab, Huawei and Leica Camera AG are expanding the scope of their successful strategic relationship and are laying the foundation for close collaboration in research and development of ground-breaking technologies in the imaging segment,” said Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, majority shareholder and chairman of the advisory board of Leica Camera AG.
While, Markus Limberger, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Leica Camera AG and Director of the Max Berek Innovation Lab further added: “Huawei and Leica share not only enormous innovation power and years of research experience, but also their dedication to providing the highest quality standards. The Max Berek Innovation Lab offers us a historic opportunity to unite the resources and extensive expertise of both companies to pioneer game-changing technologies”.
The Press Release also mentioned that the innovation centre is named in the memory of Max Berek who was the German pioneer of microscopy and creator of the first Leica lenses. Further, he also designed the opticals of more than 20 lenses for the then famous 35mm camera invented and built by Oskar Barnack.