How is Alibaba expanding its cloud and AI data centre network across Europe, the Middle East and other markets—including its planned cloud regions and expansions over the next year—and how does its 20 GW infrastructure buildout, new AI chips and larger foundation models position

Alibaba is extending its cloud network to serve AI customers closer to where they operate. It plans new cloud regions in Türkiye, Finland and the Netherlands within 12 months, while expanding data-centre capacity in Malaysia, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, France and Hong Kong. The wider strategy combines overseas infrastructure with Alibaba-designed chips and Qwen models, but its largest capacity target is for 2032—not next year. 614

• The buildout: Alibaba aims to operate more than 20 gigawatts of global data-centre capacity by 2032. That is a target for future capacity, not capacity already built or a promise that all 20 GW will be overseas. 67
• The computing stack: Its new Zhenwu V900 AI accelerator is intended to supply more of the computing power behind that buildout; Alibaba says it performs three times better than its predecessor. It is also developing Qwen models with 5 trillion to 10 trillion parameters—up to roughly four times the size of its flagship model. Those performance and model-size plans do not, by themselves, establish an advantage over rivals. 157
• The competitive stakes: More local regions could help Alibaba compete for enterprise AI workloads against Amazon’s AWS and Alphabet’s Google Cloud, while its own chips and models could reduce reliance on outside technology. That makes the plan significant in the US–China technology race, but the regions, 20 GW target and larger models remain plans to execute, not proof that Alibaba has caught the US cloud leaders. 126