Alibaba Cloud boosts APAC presence with new AI centre, data hubs
The announcement coincides with Alibaba Cloud's tenth anniversary in Singapore and the tenth year since it established its international headquarters in the city state. The company also revealed new upgrades to its cloud and AI technologies and released findings from a global study on green AI adoption.
Regional expansion
Alibaba Cloud has confirmed the opening of its third data centre in Malaysia and outlined plans to launch a second facility in the Philippines in the coming months. These additions follow recent infrastructure investments made in Thailand, Mexico, and South Korea earlier in the year.
The company said the investments aim to support the rising demand for secure and scalable cloud solutions as more industries increase AI adoption. The expanded network is intended to provide capacity for businesses, developers, and organisations to innovate and manage growth across new markets.
AI Global Competency Center
Alibaba Cloud has launched its AI Global Competency Center (AIGCC) in Singapore. The centre targets support for more than 5,000 businesses and 100,000 developers worldwide, providing access to AI models, advanced computing resources, and an AI innovation lab. The lab offers token credits, datasets, and personalised support designed around industry needs.
The AIGCC will engage over 1,000 companies and startups to co-develop AI solutions, and will introduce more than 10 AI agents for use in sectors such as finance, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, retail, and energy. Alibaba Cloud has also committed to partnering with over 120 universities and institutions globally to train 100,000 AI professionals each year. Selina Yuan, President of International Business at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, said, "Over the past decade, Singapore has been both an innovation center and a gateway to the region's digital economy. As we celebrate this important milestone, we reaffirm our commitment to empowering businesses of all sizes and verticals while advancing cutting-edge AI innovations and driving sustainable digital transformation in Singapore for years to come. Together with our partners and customers, we look forward to shaping Singapore's future as a global leader in AI and cloud innovation."
Technology developments
Among the new cloud products presented, Alibaba Cloud has released upgrades to its Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings. The Data Transmission Service (DTS) now features "One Channel For AI", which manages both unstructured and structured data—ranging from documents to multimedia—into vector databases. This enables developers to create knowledge bases and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) applications more efficiently.
The Platform for AI (PAI) has improved its inference capabilities, including optimisations for complex model architectures such as Mixture of Experts. A new feature, Expert Parallel (EP), aims to increase throughput for large language models (LLMs) while conserving computational resources. The Model Weights Service now allows for faster startup and scaling times, demonstrated by tests showing cold starts accelerated by up to 91.4% on certain models.
Alibaba Cloud's ninth-generation Intel-based Enterprise Elastic Compute Service instances will be rolled out to new global markets, including Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Germany, and the UK. This model, first launched in April, reportedly offers 20% better computing efficiency compared to prior versions, with performance improvements of up to 50% for specific workloads.
The company's sustainability platform, Energy Expert, has introduced an AI-driven ESG reporting solution built on Alibaba's own model, Qwen. This platform aims to streamline ESG report generation and compliance, providing automated content creation and structured guidance for organisations needing to align with international standards such as ISSB, GRI, and SASB.
Findings on green AI
Alibaba Cloud has published results from a global Forrester Consulting survey on green AI, in collaboration with NTU Global e-Sustainability CorpLab. The survey—of over 464 business and IT leaders—revealed 84% of those with sustainability strategies regard green AI as important, but 69% of organisations remain at an early stage of adoption.
Key barriers identified included a lack of sustainably sourced AI hardware materials and challenges in optimising data centre energy use. Significant skills and knowledge gaps were also reported, with 74% indicating uncertainty around defining green AI strategies and 76% lacking operational expertise in the field. The study recommends strategies like powering data centres with renewable energy, optimising models for edge computing, and enhancing regulatory collaboration.
Customer engagement
Several international clients were highlighted for their collaborations with Alibaba Cloud. These include GoTo Group, which migrated its business intelligence platform to Alibaba Cloud's MaxCompute solution, aiming for greater scalability and resilience. William Xiong, Group Chief Technology Officer of GoTo Group, said during the summit, "The migration to Alibaba Cloud's MaxCompute has enhanced the scalability and resilience of our data platform. By delivering cost efficiency, performance parity, and operational continuity, this collaboration strengthens the technical foundation for GoTo's ecosystem. This partnership positions us to drive innovation and deliver transformative solutions for millions of users across the ecosystem, while staying aligned with Indonesia's data sovereignty goals."
GoTo Financial also reported efficiency gains through Alibaba Cloud's database products, including PolarDB and Tair, which now support over 500 microservices with low latency.
Qwen, Alibaba's large language model family, continues to be deployed in numerous markets. VisionTech, based in Singapore, has integrated Qwen into its generative AI platform to support multilingual operations. The company reports a 25% reduction in infrastructure costs and improved response times as a result. "Our partnership with Alibaba Cloud allows us to deliver smarter, scalable, and enterprise-ready AI solutions while maintaining operational efficiency and customer satisfaction," said Lim Hui Jie, CEO of VisionTech. "Qwen's strong performance in handling multilingual conversational inputs and real-time translation gives us a distinct edge over other LLMs, enabling us to fast-track deployments and improve user engagement— whether it's English, Chinese, Malay, or Japanese. By dynamically switching languages in real-time, our AI bots create a seamless experience that resonates with users in various markets, ensuring that our solutions feel native and culturally aligned."
FLUX in Japan and Al-Futtaim in the Middle East have also joined partnerships with Alibaba Cloud, focusing on deploying Qwen-based solutions and expanding the reach of AI-powered services in their respective markets.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Techday NZ
10 hours ago
- Techday NZ
Helix 2.0 slashes enterprise AI deployment to eight weeks
HelixML has announced the release of Helix 2.0, a private AI platform aimed at enabling enterprises and developers to deploy production-ready AI agents on their own infrastructure within an eight-week timeframe. Dramatically reducing deployment times According to HelixML, Helix 2.0 is already in use at several Fortune 500 financial services firms. The platform is designed to reduce deployment times from the typical six to 12 months down to just eight weeks. HelixML also states that its approach provides predictable, fixed licensing and infrastructure costs, which it says can result in cost reductions of up to 75% when compared with public AI platforms. Among the technical features highlighted are enterprise-grade testing, version control, and rollback capabilities, which the company claims reduce operational risk by 90%. The platform also features integrated Vision RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) technology which, according to HelixML, enhances document processing accuracy by 85%, particularly for financial, regulatory, and technical documents. Helix 2.0 supports deployment on private infrastructure to enable compliance with regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA, and includes features for agentic AI and enterprise CI/CD. It integrates with DevOps platforms via Git-based workflows, purportedly allowing teams to use existing processes and systems, reducing the learning curve and accelerating initial value realisation. Key features The platform offers a Kubernetes-native architecture designed for scalability to 1,000 or more concurrent users and provides OpenAI-compatible APIs to ease migration of existing projects. Additional features include enterprise authentication integration with Okta, Auth0, and Active Directory, as well as support for automated software engineering workflows and rollback capabilities. On technology integration, the Vision RAG system is built to process complex documents, including financial statements, regulatory filings, and technical diagrams. According to HelixML, this feature delivers an 85% improvement in accuracy using ColPali-powered visual document understanding. Describing the current enterprise landscape and positioning for the platform, Paul Nashawaty, Principal Analyst at theCUBE Research, stated: "HelixML's launch of Helix 2.0 represents a pivotal shift in enterprise AI adoption, moving from experimentation to secure, production-ready deployment in record time. According to theCUBE Research, 68% of enterprises are piloting or deploying AI agents, but many face 6-12 month ramp-up timelines and spiraling infrastructure costs. Helix 2.0 condenses that timeline to just eight weeks, offering up to 75% cost savings and an 85% improvement in document processing accuracy. For highly regulated sectors like financial services, this level of integration, data sovereignty, and CI/CD compatibility is no longer a competitive advantage; it's a business imperative." HelixML describes the deployment process as involving secure, private infrastructure provision, pre-configured open-source models, and agent templates for new projects. The orchestration engine within Helix 2.0 is said to dynamically allocate resources and optimise model selection based on workload requirements. Modular YAML configurations define AI agents, which are versioned and managed through Git for traceability and rollback. The system natively integrates with enterprise DevOps pipelines and supports automated testing, in addition to CI/CD workflows and GitOps practices. Luke Marsden, CEO at HelixML, commented: "As someone who's spent years building and deploying AI in the real world, I know that speed, control, and trust aren't just nice-to-haves, they're mission-critical. With Helix 2.0, we're not just solving today's enterprise AI challenges, we're charting a new course for developers and enterprises, one where organizations can move fast, stay secure, and truly own their AI future." Pricing model Helix 2.0 is offered with a pricing model intended to provide transparency and flexibility for enterprise deployments. Hosted platform access is available at USD $75 per user per month, while private deployments operate on fixed infrastructure costs plus a licence fee, with proof-of-concept engagements starting at USD $125,000. A white label programme is also available for partners, managed service providers, and system integrators wishing to launch their own branded AI solutions. HelixML states that this programme offers multi-tenant management, usage-based billing, and full rebranding capabilities, targeting the USD $2 billion market with 30% potential margins. Partnership with Civo To support rapid private AI deployments, HelixML has partnered with Civo, a cloud platform focused on Kubernetes and GPU-powered infrastructure. The partnership enables users to deploy Helix 2.0 on Civo's GPU infrastructure in a single step via the Helix deployment portal, designed to reduce infrastructure complexity for customers. Mark Boost, CEO of Civo, said: "We're excited to partner with HelixML as their preferred GPU provider. Both our companies share a passion for empowering businesses to take control of their AI deployments, and our synergy is clear. Civo's fast and scalable GPU infrastructure perfectly complements HelixML's innovative private AI platform, enabling enterprises to deploy AI at scale with speed, security, and sovereignty." Helix 2.0 is available for enterprise and partner evaluation, with options aimed at organisations experiencing issues related to escalating AI costs, security challenges, or compliance demands.
Techday NZ
7 days ago
- Techday NZ
World Aquatics to migrate core systems to Alibaba Cloud by 2028
World Aquatics has selected Alibaba Cloud as its Global Exclusive Cloud Supplier in a partnership that will result in the full migration of the federation's core systems to cloud infrastructure. The agreement, which will run from 2025 through to 2028, will be implemented across all World Aquatics events, including World Aquatics Championships, World Cup cycles, and its various digital platforms. Cloud migration This marks the first time that the core systems of an international sports federation will be fully migrated to the cloud. World Aquatics will utilise Alibaba Cloud's cloud computing and artificial intelligence capabilities to support ongoing digital transformation of its operations and services. Husain Al Musallam, President of World Aquatics, stated, "This is a significant step forward for World Aquatics. Alibaba Cloud brings not only global cloud coverage and proven technical expertise, but also a great understanding of the demands of international sport on digital platforms. This partnership will allow us to scale our operations, improve our platforms' stability, enhance data security and serve our community more effectively." Operational and digital goals The partnership aims to support World Aquatics' global digital operations and evolving data strategy, providing a suite of cloud services and AI-driven solutions for the organisation's requirements. It is also intended to help foster a more connected global aquatics community and advance World Aquatics' broader vision of promoting unity and health through aquatic sports. Selina Yuan, President of International Business at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, commented, "We are thrilled to reach this significant milestone in collaboration with World Aquatics. Alibaba Cloud is dedicated to driving the digital transformation of global sports through our leading AI and cloud computing technologies. This exclusive partnership not only showcases our long-standing commitment to sports innovation, but also creates new opportunities to elevate the aquatic sports experience for athletes, organizations, and fans worldwide." Key initiatives Under the agreement, several digital initiatives are planned. These include migrating and upgrading the next generation World Aquatics General Management System (GMS) to Alibaba Cloud to enhance service delivery to national federations and athletes. The federation will also launch a new web platform and mobile application designed for athletes, coaches, and fans. Alibaba Cloud will provide scalable and secure cloud environments for the digital ecosystem supporting World Aquatics' competitions and other digital properties. Another part of the partnership is the development of a Customer Data Platform, which will help World Aquatics better understand and engage its various audience groups and provide tailored services and solutions. Integration of Alibaba Cloud's AI technologies across these platforms is also intended to drive efficiency and optimise processes. "This is a significant step forward for World Aquatics. Alibaba Cloud brings not only global cloud coverage and proven technical expertise, but also a great understanding of the demands of international sport on digital platforms. This partnership will allow us to scale our operations, improve our platforms' stability, enhance data security and serve our community more effectively." Stakeholder impact The collaboration will see the digital architecture and intelligence for World Aquatics' ecosystem combined within one integrated environment. The objective is to strengthen capabilities for serving athletes, coaches, clubs, and other stakeholders associated with aquatic sports globally. World Aquatics currently governs six aquatic sports: swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming, and high diving. The organisation consists of 210 national federations and five continental organisations, and is recognised as the global authority for aquatic sports by the International Olympic Committee. Alibaba Cloud, founded in 2009, provides a range of cloud services including elastic computing, database and storage, network virtualisation, security, big data analytics, and AI services to customers worldwide.
Techday NZ
15-07-2025
- Techday NZ
Elastic named Leader in 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for observability
Elastic has been recognised as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Observability Platforms for the second consecutive year. Gartner recognition The company earned this placement for its Elastic Observability offering after an evaluation of its Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute. The recognition acknowledges Elastic's work in developing AI-driven capabilities, support for open standards, and the scalability and cost-efficiency of its observability platform. Santosh Krishnan, General Manager, Observability & Security at Elastic, commented on the company's approach to observability, saying: "Visibility alone isn't enough; customers need rapid context-rich insights to troubleshoot complex systems. We feel Elastic's recognition as a Leader in this year's Gartner Magic Quadrant reflects how our open, scalable architecture with AI-driven capabilities is transforming observability from a reactive tool into a solution for real-time investigations while keeping costs low." Key features highlighted The company stated that its differentiation lies in several areas, including native integration with OpenTelemetry, a built-in AI Assistant, and zero-configuration AIOps for anomaly detection. Elastic's AI Assistant leverages Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) technology to connect with enterprise knowledge, supporting incident resolution through natural language queries. This allows operational teams to reduce time-to-insight across logs, metrics, and traces. Elastic's zero-config AIOps deploys machine learning capabilities out-of-the-box to automatically detect anomalies, forecast trends, and reveal patterns within large datasets. The piped query language, ES|QL, aims to simplify the complexity of large-scale IT investigations by enabling advanced queries across observability data. Krishnan stated that Elastic's placement in the Magic Quadrant demonstrates the effectiveness of continued investments in open standards and deployment flexibility, alongside scalable performance and cost optimisations. He described the solution's impact on organisations moving from reactive troubleshooting to real-time investigation of incidents and anomalies. Enterprise adoption Elastic's approach to observability has also been adopted by enterprises seeking to consolidate monitoring tools and improve operational efficiency. Eva Ulicevic, Director, Technology, Architecture, Strategy, and Analytics at Telefónica Germany, shared the impact the platform has had within the organisation: "By using Elastic and consolidating multiple tools, we reduced our root cause analysis time by 80%. We also reduced incidents that could severely impact our business." The platform is built on Elastic's Search AI Platform, supporting the monitoring and optimisation of applications, infrastructure, and end-user experience. Elastic's Search AI Lake is designed for petabyte-scale data retention, supporting efficient storage and search for structured and unstructured data. Industry context The Gartner Magic Quadrant evaluates vendors in the observability sector based on criteria such as vision, innovation, ability to execute, and breadth of capabilities. Elastic's leadership listing for the second year underscores continued investment in tools that address the challenges of managing, searching, and analysing large volumes of operational data. Elastic's commitment to open-source standards is emphasised by its native support for OpenTelemetry, enabling organisations to standardise instrumentation and data collection processes without requiring proprietary connectors. The observability platform is positioned to support organisations as they address the growing complexity of cloud-based architectures and meet increased demand for real-time performance monitoring, anomaly detection, and automated root cause analysis.
