Alibaba Cloud Partners with Xiamen University Malaysia to Empower Digital Talents for the Future

Kuala Lumpur, May 20, 2020 – Alibaba Cloud, the data intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, yesterday signed an MOU with Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) to enhance the education and skills of the cloud computing staff and students through the Alibaba Cloud Academic Empowerment Program (AAEP).

"As more businesses embark on digital transformation, the demand for IT and Cloud professionals is expected to rise exponentially. The collaboration between Alibaba Cloud and XMUM will empower more students to stay ahead so they can boost their career prospects in the digital economy," said Jordy Cao, General Manager, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Malaysia.

"Alibaba Cloud's commitment to Malaysia is reflected in the opening of our first local data centre here in 2017, and as a global pioneer for cloud computing services, we continue to work with the local community for the sustainable development of the market. XMUM's cloud computing curriculum will provide students and staff with unparalleled access to resources put together by our experts and will also allow them to host collaborative workshops and training activities."

XMUM's staff and students can also join the Alibaba Cloud's Student Education Program, where upon completion they will receive a certification from Alibaba Cloud. Furthermore, Alibaba Cloud's team will play an advisory role at XMUM to ensure the content of the courses remains relevant and focused on the future needs of the industry, so students are well prepared for their careers.

Prof. Wang Ruifang, President of XMUM, said: "The collaboration presents a perfect opportunity for our students and staff to advance their cloud computing career and gain professional certification. We look forward to introducing Alibaba Cloud for Students Program and Alibaba Cloud's Elastic Compute Service (ECS) to help them navigate the complexities of the cloud environment and learn more about the underlying infrastructure."

"At XMUM, we aim to nurture high-quality IT talent capable of contributing to the digital transformation of Malaysia, China, and the broader region. Currently, we have 11 dedicated ICT labs with state-of-the-art equipment and industry-leading software. Among the 5,600 students now studying with us, 1,011 are enrolled in our three ICT-related bachelor's degree programs, i.e. Computer Science and Technology, Software Engineering, and Digital Media Technology. Later this year, we will kick start our Bachelor of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence, while a new program in Data Science will be offered in 2021."

XMUM students will also be invited to Alibaba Cloud's computing conference in Alibaba's headquarters in China.

This year, apart from the collaboration with XMUM, Alibaba Cloud Academy also built a virtual learning community on DingTalk. To-date, a dozen universities have joined the community, and around 800 students have benefited from the online training and certification.

Alibaba Cloud is the biggest public cloud service provider in APAC and is ranked third globally according to Gartner. Alibaba Cloud operates 63 availability zones in 21 regions globally. It is also the first Cloud provider to fulfil the additional requirements of Germany's Cloud Computing Compliance Controls Catalog (C5) and has more than 70 security and compliance accreditations worldwide.

About Alibaba Cloud

About Alibaba Cloud Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com), the data intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, is among the world's top three IaaS providers, according to Gartner. It is also the largest provider of public cloud services in China, 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 public services. Alibaba Cloud is the official Cloud Services Partner of the International Olympic Committee.