Alibaba Cloud Supports Establishment of New Digital Hub in Malaysia

In support of the eWTP initiative, the new digital hub will empower Malaysian and ASEAN startups with best-in-class cloud technology as well as access to a global cloud network

Kuala Lumpur, July 20 2017 - Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, announced today the establishment of a new digital hub in Malaysia together with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). This is the first digital hub under the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) initiative, and marks an advance in the realization of the eWTP vision of empowering small and medium enterprises around the world and providing them with fair access to global markets.

The new digital hub will play a key role in incubating startups of Malaysia as well as across ASEAN countries, and accelerating the digital transformation of the region. As technology partner for the hub, Alibaba Cloud will roll out a series of programs and services including the Alibaba Cloud Certified Professional ("ACP") certification program, one-on-one "go-to-cloud" consulting services and customized technology solutions designed by Alibaba Cloud architects. These will allow small businesses to achieve scale rapidly and smoothly using Alibaba Cloud's powerful, scalable and cost-effective cloud capabilities.

Beyond these initiatives, Alibaba Cloud has also brought the ASEAN Division of its Create@Alibaba Cloud startup program to Malaysia. Fifteen startups from across the ASEAN region competed in the final in the new digital hub this morning. Following an intensive pitch process, CXS Analytics from Malaysia and Oceo Water from Singapore were announced regional winners and awarded the equivalent of US$50,000 and US$10,000 separately, as well as earning two places to compete with champions from other 12 markets and regions in the global final to be held in Shanghai in October.

"Cloud computing has become the driver of a new economy based on data, leading to technological innovations that push the boundaries of traditional business farther than ever before." said Raymond Ma, Head of ASEAN & ANZ, Alibaba Cloud. "In Malaysia as well as in the ASEAN region, we are committed to building up a unified ecosystem that makes cloud computing more accessible to startups and SMEs. The new digital hub, alongside our other initiatives, will provide startups and SMEs with a comprehensive support network and an innovative suite of cloud services, helping them to succeed in the digital age."

"Alibaba Cloud and MDEC's partnership was established on one common ground and that is, our commitment towards developing the tech entrepreneur ecosystem. This synergy has connected the Malaysian tech entrepreneurs to bigger opportunities and the Create@Alibaba Cloud Startup Contest ASEAN Division is a perfect example of that. Through this contest, Malaysian entrepreneurs had the chance to present their ideas to industry experts and gain the experience" said Dato' Wan Peng, COO of MDEC.

This is the latest in a series of collaborative initiatives between Alibaba Cloud and MDEC which support the eWTP's vision and are setting new examples of what is possible within it.

In May Alibaba Cloud announced that it would establish a data center in Malaysia within this year that is set to become the first global public cloud platform available in the country. Through this, Alibaba Cloud will empower local entrepreneurs from different industries and of all sizes to migrate their IT infrastructure onto a powerful, reliable and secure platform.

About Alibaba Cloud

Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com), the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, is China's largest provider of public cloud services in 2016 by revenue, according to IDC. Alibaba Cloud provides a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services to businesses worldwide, including merchants doing business on Alibaba Group marketplaces, start-ups, corporations and government organizations. Alibaba Cloud is the official Cloud Services Partner of the International Olympic Committee.