TLDR: Huawei has officially launched HarmonyOS 6 for developers, introducing a new era of AI-powered features, including intelligent agents and significant upgrades to its cloud architecture. Announced at HDC 2025, this move aims to bolster Huawei’s software ecosystem and enhance user experience with more intuitive, task-automating capabilities, despite ongoing competition with established mobile operating systems.
Huawei Technologies has officially unveiled HarmonyOS 6, its latest proprietary operating system, to developers, marking a significant stride in the company’s push into the artificial intelligence domain and its broader software ecosystem. The announcement was made at Huawei’s annual Developer Conference (HDC 2025), held in Dongguan, China, from June 20-22, 2025.
HarmonyOS 6 introduces a suite of powerful AI tools and cloud computing architecture, designed to enhance user interaction and developer capabilities. A key highlight is the introduction of AI agents and digital assistants, which can automatically perform tasks for users without requiring extensive model training. Huawei’s new HarmonyOS Agent Framework simplifies the creation of these agents, providing developers with pre-built tools and systems. According to Huawei, over 50 AI agents are already slated for public release, with contributions from major Chinese platforms such as Weibo and Ximalaya. These AI features are intended to streamline daily interactions and deliver personalized services across various devices. The Harmony Multi-Agent Framework (HMAF) is central to this, enabling more natural, efficient, and collaborative capabilities through multi-agent cooperation. Huawei’s AI assistant, XiaoYi, has been upgraded to leverage HMAF, allowing it to scan smartphone screens for contextual search results, process Excel data via chat prompts using ‘ChatExcel,’ and assist developers in building HarmonyOS applications more efficiently. Furthermore, the ‘Code Flying Intelligent Body’ can generate smart body applications through simple commands, potentially democratizing HarmonyOS development.
In addition to the operating system advancements, Huawei announced substantial upgrades to its cloud technology. The company’s AI-focused cloud server has been enhanced with the CloudMatrix 384 Supernode architecture, initially launched in April. This upgrade is engineered to provide robust performance for clients developing and training AI applications. The architecture incorporates 384 Ascend neural processing units—chips specifically designed for AI—and 192 Kunpeng central processing units, positioning Huawei to compete directly with high-end systems like Nvidia’s GB200 NVL72.
Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, confirmed during the conference that developers can immediately begin building with the beta version of HarmonyOS 6. While a public release date for consumers has not yet been specified, the company emphasized the OS’s evolution as a comprehensive ecosystem platform spanning devices, industries, and cloud services. Yu acknowledged that HarmonyOS currently trails Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android in global market share and app availability. However, he highlighted that ‘the top 5,000 apps accounted for 99.9 per cent of consumer time spent’ on Huawei devices, indicating strong user engagement within its existing ecosystem. HarmonyOS 5 is currently installed on over 40 device models, with more than 8 million developers engaged and over 30,000 apps and ‘atomic services’ (mini-programs that run without installation) available.
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The new OS also integrates a unified Star Shield security architecture, designed to enhance hardware-focused security, biometric authentication integrity, and potentially online banking protections, aligning with Huawei’s broader strategy for software independence amidst ongoing US sanctions.
