Iran says U.S. demands hinder response as Strait of Hormuz tensions escalate
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said it is difficult to assess the U.S. response to its proposal, citing Washington’s history of “exc...
Bengaluru/Beijing, February 24, 2025 – Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (9988.HK) announced on Monday plans to invest at least 380 billion yuan ($52.44 billion) in its cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure over the next three years.
This bold move exceeds the company’s total spending in AI and cloud computing over the past decade and underscores its ambition to lead China’s fast-evolving technology landscape.
During its latest quarterly earnings announcement, Alibaba reported revenue of 280.15 billion yuan for the three months ended December 31—slightly ahead of analysts' estimates. The massive investment is part of Alibaba’s broader strategy to capitalize on growing opportunities in AI and cloud services, as it seeks to maintain a competitive edge amid increasing market pressures.
Investors have responded positively to the news, with Alibaba’s stock rising more than 68% this year as the company positions itself as a frontrunner in China’s AI race. Strategic business deals and technological advancements are expected to further bolster the company’s market leadership.
Alibaba’s investment comes at a time when other Chinese tech giants are also ramping up their spending on AI. For instance, ByteDance—the parent company of TikTok—has earmarked over 150 billion yuan in capital expenditure for this year, much of which will be directed towards AI innovation.
As Alibaba prepares to deploy its substantial new funding, industry watchers will be keen to see how this infusion of capital transforms its cloud computing capabilities and drives further breakthroughs in AI technology.
A 77-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were killed on Monday (4 May), after a man drove a car into a crowd on a pedestrianised street in the the eastern German city of Leipzig, authorities said.
Iran warned Armerican forces on Monday (4 May) not to enter the Strait of Hormuz, after the U.S. said it had launched a mission to try and reopen the sea passage. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister said there was no military solution to the Middle East conflict.
Medics are working to evacuate two people with symptoms of the deadly respiratory illness, hantavirus, from a luxury cruise ship being held off West Africa, after three people died and several others fell ill, officials have said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to the Vatican and Italy this week for a series of meetings, according to Italian media reports, in a visit that comes amid strained relations between Washington and parts of Europe and heightened tensions involving Pope Leo XIV.
Tensions are escalating in the Gulf after new attacks linked to maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces say they struck Iranian fast boats at sea following hostile manoeuvres, after Iran was blamed for an earlier attack on a UAE oil facility.
Almaty is hosting GITEX AI Kazakhstan 2026 two-day event, drawing global tech firms and investors as Central Asia gains attention as a fast developing digital market. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the GITEX AI Central Asia & Caucasus exhibition in Almaty on 4 May.
A humanoid robot called Sophia took an unusual place at the heart of a classical concert in Hong Kong on Wednesday (29 April), as she performed alongside a live orchestra for the first time.
Elon Musk took the stand on Tuesday (28 April) at a high-stakes trial over the future of OpenAI, casting his lawsuit against the ChatGPT maker as a defence of charitable giving.
A pivotal trial that could shape the governance of artificial intelligence begins Tuesday in California, as Elon Musk and Sam Altman face off over OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit model.
Alphabet Inc’s Google has deepened its operational relationship with the United States Department of Defense (DoD), quietly signing a wide-ranging agreement to deploy artificial intelligence models in highly classified environments.
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