Driving AI Innovation with Next-Generation Solutions
Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, has announced its latest AI models, upgraded infrastructure, and AI empowerment initiatives at the inaugural AI Tech Day in Malaysia. These advancements aim to enable businesses and developers in Malaysia to build innovative AI applications more efficiently and contribute to the growth of the generative AI ecosystem.
Strengthening Malaysia’s AI Ecosystem Through Collaboration
The event, officiated by YB Datuk Wilson Ugak Anak Kumbong, Deputy Minister of Digital, also marked key partnerships with YTL Power International Bhd’s AI unit, YTL AI Labs, Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), and digital marketing service provider HiSEVEN. These collaborations reinforce Alibaba Cloud’s role as a leading AI technology partner in Malaysia.
The Deputy Minister emphasized Malaysia’s commitment to AI-driven digital transformation, stating, “With initiatives like Alibaba Cloud’s AI advancements and industry collaborations, we are strengthening our AI ecosystem and empowering local businesses to become leaders in the global digital economy.”
Advanced AI Infrastructure to Support Growing Demand
Alibaba Cloud introduced its 9th Generation Enterprise Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances, set to be available in Malaysia by mid-2025. These new ECS instances improve computing efficiency by 20% and enhance performance for high-performance computing and databases by up to 50% through eRDMA technology.
Cutting-Edge AI Models and Multimodal Capabilities
Alibaba Cloud launched the Qwen2.5 series, its latest generation of large language models (LLMs), available in sizes ranging from 7 billion to 72 billion parameters. These models are accessible via Model Studio, allowing businesses and developers to build and deploy AI applications efficiently across various industries.
Additionally, Alibaba Cloud unveiled Qwen2.5-VL, a multimodal AI model that enhances visual-language processing. This model is available on Qwen Chat, Hugging Face, and Model Scope, ensuring wide accessibility for AI researchers and developers.
To further support developers, Alibaba Cloud is launching its AI-powered coding assistant in April 2025, offering code completion, debugging assistance, and batch unit test generation to enhance developer productivity.
AI Solutions for Businesses and Enterprises
Alibaba Cloud’s AI-driven solutions help businesses optimize operations, improve customer engagement, and drive digital transformation. Key offerings include:
AI Doc – An intelligent document processing tool that transforms unstructured documents into structured data for improved efficiency.
Voice Insight – A multilingual voice recognition and analytics tool for enhanced quality inspections and customer interactions.
Smart Studio – A next-generation AI-powered content creation platform for text-to-image and text-to-video applications.
SmartQ – An AI-driven data analysis tool within Quick BI, enabling users to generate insights using natural language queries.
Strengthening AI Innovation Through Strategic Partnerships
Collaboration with YTL AI Labs
YTL AI Labs, the AI innovation unit of YTL Power International Bhd, is working with Alibaba Cloud to advance Malay-language AI models. Their project Ilmu 0.1 has made significant strides in Malay-language multitask language understanding (MMLU). Since September 2024, YTL AI Labs has utilized Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure to fine-tune its AI models.
Foong Chee Mun, CEO of YTL AI Labs, stated, “Our collaboration with Alibaba Cloud has accelerated our research in localized AI solutions tailored to Malaysia’s digital landscape.”
Partnership with Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB)
Alibaba Cloud and PNB signed an MoU to leverage AI for enhanced operational efficiency and customer support. A key initiative is the establishment of an AI Lab focusing on investment data visualization, automated analyst reports, and AI-powered investment advisory.
Dato’ Rick Ramli, Deputy President & Group Chief Executive of PNB, noted, “Alibaba Cloud has strengthened our customer-facing operations, and we are committed to adopting AI-driven solutions for greater efficiency.”
Collaboration with HiSEVEN
Alibaba Cloud has expanded its partnership with HiSEVEN, a Malaysian digital marketing service provider, to enhance AI-driven marketing solutions and improve business operations through AI automation.
Jason Lin, CEO of HiSEVEN, emphasized, “This partnership will allow us to leverage Alibaba Cloud’s AI capabilities to create smarter marketing tools and strategies.”
Fostering AI Talent Development in Malaysia
To support Malaysia’s AI ecosystem, Alibaba Cloud launched the Alibaba Cloud Malaysia AI Hackathon 2025 in partnership with Agmo Holdings Berhad. Running from February 27 to April 30, 2025, the hackathon invites local innovators and developers to showcase their AI expertise using Alibaba Cloud’s cutting-edge technology.
With its latest AI advancements, strategic collaborations, and talent development initiatives, Alibaba Cloud is playing a pivotal role in shaping Malaysia’s AI landscape. By providing scalable infrastructure, advanced AI models, and industry-focused solutions, Alibaba Cloud is empowering businesses and developers to drive innovation and strengthen Malaysia’s position in the global digital economy.
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