Alibaba Cloud Marks Singapore Milestone with AI, ESG Push

Alibaba Cloud’s Singapore anniversary celebrates nearly a decade of strategic expansion in Southeast Asia, marked by early investments like US$2 billion in Lazada and the launch of data centers in Indonesia (2018).

This infrastructure-first strategy positioned Alibaba as a first mover in regional cloud computing, outpacing competitors like Amazon Web Services (AWS) in localization and logistics integration, including 7-Eleven Malaysia lockers and Vietnamese post offices. Now, Alibaba is leveraging that groundwork to spearhead AI transformation and green cloud computing.

Key Highlights

Alibaba Cloud’s AI Center will train 100,000 developers and assist 5,000 enterprises.
Its Energy Expert platform tackles cloud sustainability with AI-driven ESG tools.
Early regional investment gives Alibaba a competitive edge in Southeast Asia.

Its AI Global Competency Center aims to assist 5,000 businesses and 100,000 developers, addressing the global readiness gap—only 1% percent of firms consider themselves mature in AI deployment. As AI ROI reaches 3.7x and market value nears $240 billion, this initiative is timely.

Alibaba is also tackling the sustainability challenge: data center energy demand is expected to grow 160 percent by 2030. The company's Energy Expert platform provides AI-driven ESG reporting, aligning with global trends where 36 percent of organizations now track cloud carbon footprints. Alibaba’s research shows 84 percent of leaders prioritize green AI, but most remain early-stage in implementation.

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With plans to train 100K AI professionals annually and roll out AI agents for major industries, Alibaba Cloud is not only scaling tech innovation but also redefining sustainable digital infrastructure leadership in Southeast Asia and beyond.