Alibaba Cloud

Alibaba Cloud, also known as Aliyun, is a leading cloud computing service provider and subsidiary of the Alibaba Group. Founded in 2009, it offers a comprehensive suite of cloud services including computing, storage, networking, databases, analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Alibaba Cloud provides Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings. Its services include Elastic Compute Service (ECS) for scalable virtual servers, Object Storage Service (OSS) for data storage, and various database solutions. The company also offers specialized services for web hosting, the internet of Things (IoT), and serverless computing through its Function Compute platform. Alibaba Cloud emphasizes security, with features like Anti-DDoS protection and Web Application Firewall (WAF) included in its offerings. As of October 2023, Alibaba Cloud served 80% of China's technology companies and half of the country's AI language model firms. The company has been expanding globally, with operations in over 200 countries and regions, supported by 89 data centers across 30 locations worldwide as of September 2023. Alibaba Cloud has shown significant growth, with its cloud division posting quarterly revenue of USD 2.57 billion in May 2021, representing a 37% year-on-year increase.

Key customers and partnerships

Alibaba Cloud has a strong presence in the Chinese market, where it held a 39% market share as of Q4 2023. The company's customer base includes a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on technology firms in China. In June 2023, Alibaba Cloud announced a partnership with Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group, a Chinese mining giant, to develop the Western Energy Cloud platform. This partnership aims to accelerate the digitization of the energy industry in western China. Alibaba Cloud has also been actively engaging with regional governments across China to secure cloud contracts as part of the country's digital transformation efforts. In the international market, Alibaba Cloud has been expanding its presence, particularly in emerging markets and the Asia-Pacific region. The company has made inroads in Africa, launching services in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya in 2019.