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South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Alibaba, Baidu lead China's AI cloud boom as market surges 55% to US$2.7 billion
Baidu and Alibaba Group Holding led the market for public cloud services supporting artificial intelligence in China last year, as the industry embraced 'disruptive innovations' towards generative and agentic AI, according to consultancy IDC. The mainland AI public cloud market reached 19.6 billion yuan (US$2.7 billion) in 2024, increasing 55 per cent on the back of surging demand for AI training and applications, IDC said on Monday. The top two market players each accounted for roughly 25 per cent of the market, followed by Tencent Holdings and Huawei Technologies, according to a chart that did not provide exact share numbers. Alibaba owns the Post. 'Disruptive innovations' in AI drove the surge in the market, IDC said. Before 2022, demand for AI cloud services came from 'traditional' applications, including optical character recognition, quality inspection and surveillance. Starting in 2023, large language models – the technology underpinning ChatGPT-like chatbots – began to dominate the market. AI services were now evolving into agentic forms in the second half of this year, marking a new era of autonomous, task-oriented AI interactions, the report said. These shifts have prompted growing demand for AI cloud services, which can provide both generative-AI applications and training resources for clients to build their own AI services. Among five segments within AI cloud services, the biggest was computer vision, which rose 34 per cent to 8.1 billion yuan last year, led by Tencent and Baidu, IDC data showed.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Pouring over the facts: what is behind Hong Kong's water procurement scandal?
Hong Kong police have arrested a married couple suspected of being at the centre of a rapidly unfolding controversy surrounding a HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) contract to supply drinking water to some government offices. The pair allegedly defrauded the government and are suspected of breaching the Trade Descriptions Ordinance by providing false information about the product manufacturer. The unprecedented fiasco over the contract, which was among the first of its kind awarded to a mainland Chinese company in June, has raised questions about the government's tendering process and how due diligence is conducted. With a criminal investigation and official probe under way, the Post breaks down the nature of the scandal and the questions that remain unanswered. What is the company behind the winning bid? The company at the centre of the controversy is Xin Ding Xin Trade Co Ltd. Founded in 2007 in Hong Kong, Xin Ding Xin is led by director Lui Tsz-chung, who lives in Sai Wan Ho, with shareholder Chan Pik-lam sharing the same residential address. A search in the Companies Registry shows the firm was originally incorporated as Wellco Investment (Group) Limited before adopting its current name in 2009.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Contract ‘partially terminated' for mainland supplier of Hong Kong civil service water
Read more on: The Hong Kong government says it doubts whether bottled water supplier Xin Ding Xin is capable of fulfilling the 36-month contract it won in June 2025. The city 'partially terminated' the mainland Chinese company's contract following recent controversy related to concerns among civil servants about the safety and quality of the water it supplied. Officials say the matter has been referred to police, with Xin Ding Xin suspected of involvement in illegal activities.
