Alibaba Cloud Launches Tech for Future Program to Bolster AI-driven Sustainable Innovation in Hong Kong

Business grows as customers spearhead digital transformation

Hong Kong, November 27, 2024 – Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, today launched a strategic initiative to support AI-driven sustainable innovation in Hong Kong. Its Tech for Future program is designed to bolster enterprise AI empowerment, strengthen its cloud computing infrastructure and service, and nurture local AI talent.

This year marks Alibaba Cloud’s 10th anniversary in Hong Kong supporting digital transformation across sectors. The company’s business has continued to grow, supported by customer trust. For four years in a row, Alibaba Cloud had the largest IaaS market share by revenue in Hong Kong, according to Gartner® Market Share research. The company achieved double-digit revenue growth YoY and saw an increase of 60% in the number of active customers.

Professor Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong SAR Government as Guest of Honor , delivered an opening speech at the Alibaba Cloud Summit Hong Kong and said: "AI technologies have revolutionized the everyday processes in many industries and changed the very core of how business is done. Over the years, Alibaba Cloud's relentless pursuit of innovation and excellence has not only redefined industry standards but also contributed significantly to the transformation of digital landscapes worldwide.“

This year’s Alibaba Cloud Summit invited Professor Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong SAR Government as Guest of Honor. He remarked: “AI technologies have revolutionized the everyday processes in many industries and changed the very core of how business is done. To foster a vibrant local AI ecosystem, the Government has put in place multipronged measures including the setting up of advanced AI infrastructure and the allocation of HK$3 billion to launch a three-year AI Subsidy Scheme to groom our AI industry. Cloud computing provides the necessary infrastructure, scalability and data security for AI, enabling businesses to leverage AI technologies without significant investments in hardware and software. Over the years, Alibaba Cloud has grown from a pioneering force in cloud computing to a global leader in the technology sector. Its relentless pursuit of innovation and excellence has not only redefined industry standards but also contributed significantly to the transformation of digital landscapes worldwide.”

Selina Yuan, President of International Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, delivers a welcome speech at the Alibaba Cloud Summit Hong Kong.

“Hong Kong, as an international financial center and regional innovation hub, is a very important market for Alibaba Cloud to export our leading technology to the world. With Hong Kong as our hub, we provide secure, reliable and scalable Cloud+AI technological support to our customers around the globe,” said Selina Yuan, President of International Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence at the annual Alibaba Cloud Summit in Hong Kong. “In view of this, we will step up enterprise AI empowerment in Hong Kong as part of our Tech for Future program, while continuing to strengthen our infrastructure and nurture talent. By doing so, we help to promote sustainable innovation. As a global cloud leader, we understand that this is in the best interest our customers.”

Under the Tech for Future program, eligible 100 start-ups in Hong Kong will receive cloud credits, free one-on-one technical support, free learning, and other support as they adopt AI to grow their business. Alibaba Cloud will also strengthen its own IT infrastructure and form a local taskforce to forge “Cloud+AI” capabilities and assist enterprises to speed up digital transformation. On the talent development front, the program will provide GenAI course framework and AI training course for local students, as well as setting up the advanced Wuying cloud computer to schools interested in establishing skill center together with Alibaba Cloud. In addition, Alibaba Cloud will develop a “Tech for Future Hong Kong” whitepaper, gathering insights of industry experts for the future development of Hong Kong.

Selina Yuan, President of International Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence and Leo Liu, Vice President of International Business, General Manager of North APAC and SEA, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence

“Over the past decade, we have been supporting businesses across industries in Hong Kong to digitalize with our cutting-edge cloud capabilities,” said Leo Liu, Vice President of International Business, General Manager of North APAC and SEA, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. “As AI technology and its applications rapidly advance, Alibaba Cloud is committed to seizing these opportunities, investing in upgrading our offerings, and supporting our clients from all kinds of industries to develop, innovate and expand effectively.”

Fostering AI-driven growth across various sectors

At the Alibaba Cloud Summit Hong Kong, Alibaba Cloud announced collaborations with multiple companies from different sectors, reinforcing itself as the trusted partner for top-notch cloud technology and solutions as companies in Hong Kong continue their digital transformation journey.

HKT, a technology, media, and telecommunication enterprise with a strong presence in Hong Kong for more than 150 years, is adopting a multi-cloud strategy to enhance flexibility, optimize costs, and mitigate risks. HKT has collaborated with Alibaba Cloud to enhance effective cloud environment management

Iven Kwan, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Ventures, HKT, said, “Enterprises in Hong Kong are increasingly adopting a multi-cloud strategy to increase flexibility, reduce cost and manage risks. At HKT, we strive to utilize the most advanced cloud technology to improve our operational efficiency and strengthen our governance. Our collaboration with Alibaba Cloud helps us stay at the forefront of innovation and facilitate our business development into the Greater Bay Area.”

Established in 1975, LAWSGROUP is a globally renowned clothing manufacturer currently running a chain of fashion and lifestyle boutiques and develops shopping malls, office buildings and parking lots. Aiming to expand its supply chain network by building offices and factories across APAC region, the company wanted to invest in a reliable and scalable global infrastructure to ensure operation stability and enhance overall efficiency. In collaboration with Alibaba Cloud, LAWSGROUP completed a comprehensive cloud migration, deploying its mission-critical applications such as internal communication and customer service systems in the cloud. LAWSGROUP also leveraged Alibaba Cloud’s Cloud network solution to set up a high-speed and low latency global network to enhance connectivity of its facilities across different markets.

Mr. Rico Lau, Digital Transformation Director, LAWSGROUP, said, “LAWSGROUP is continuously investing in new-age technologies and infrastructure modernization to expand its global footprint. Partnering with Alibaba Cloud helped the company successfully build a distributed global network to enhance regional connectivity. Going forward, LAWSGROUP will continue to leverage Alibaba Cloud's deep technical expertise, innovative cloud solutions, and robust cross-border infrastructure for rapid business growth in international markets. LAWSGROUP will also work closely with Alibaba Cloud to reduce its carbon footprint by deploying more green technology solutions.”

Inspiring innovation and creativity in the younger generation

At the summit, Alibaba Cloud also announced the winners of its Hong Kong Inter-School AIGC Competition held in October. Participants used Alibaba Cloud's Large Language Model series Qwen and its text-to-image model Tongyi Wanxiang to create visual and textual works. The competition is the largest of its kind in Hong Kong, attracting over 1,400 students from more than 80 primary and secondary schools, as well as special education institutions. The winning teams across the three groups are from SKH St. Clement's Primary School, De La Salle Secondary School in the New Territories, and Hong Chi Winifred Mary Cheung Morninghope School. Winners will join a three-day tour to Alibaba Group's headquarters in Hangzhou.

Laws Knitters, a brand founded by LAWSGROUP to promote the heritage of the local craftsmanship, has leveraged its traditional local knitting craftsmanship to create tote bags of the students’ AI-generated works, showcasing the creativity of young minds and celebrating the fusion of innovation and heritage.

About Alibaba Cloud

Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com) is the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group. It offers a complete suite of cloud services to customers worldwide, including elastic computing, database, storage, network virtualization services, large-scale computing, security, big data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) services. Alibaba has been named the leading IaaS provider in Asia Pacific by revenue in U.S. dollars since 2018, according to Gartner. It has also maintained its position as one of the world’s leading public cloud IaaS service providers since 2018, according to IDC.