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Qwen

Qwen
Qwen is a multipurpose artificial intelligence consumer app created by Alibaba as a personal AI assistant for professional and personal use, and powered by the Alibaba Cloud software. Its functionality includes research, image generation and slide generation. Alibaba Cloud is the AI and cloud computing unit of Hangzhou-based Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post.
Alibaba's logo at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 6, 2023. The company's strategic shift to AI and chip investments is yielding significant returns and also boosting its tech portfolio. Photo: Getty Images
Alibaba

From CXMT to Zhipu AI, Alibaba’s strategic investments are paying off

The company’s strategic shift to AI and chip investments is not only yielding significant returns, but also boosting its tech portfolio.

Artificial intelligence

Moonshot AI pushes China closer to US in frontier tech

Alibaba

Alibaba previews Qwen3.8, claiming its strength trails only Anthropic’s Fable 5

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Artificial intelligence

Humanoids to Huawei: what to watch as Xi attends China’s top AI event

Gathering will showcase Beijing’s push to compete across the full AI stack, from models and chips to robots, consumer devices.

People walk near the entrance of the the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, venue for the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, in Shanghai on July 16. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

AI | Chinese AI giants, start-ups ready for the agentic web era

With artificially intelligent agents set to become our interface with the digital world, Chinese tech platforms are embedding them and launching AI-native products.

Alibaba

Why Alibaba shares just scored their strongest gains in Hong Kong this year

UBS and Jefferies project the firm’s revenue to accelerate to 9% in June quarter, well above the 3% recorded in the previous quarter.

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China economy

Opinion | Are the US’ AI models better than China’s? That may be beside the point

Rather than fight US frontier AI control, China is thinning the margins of premium AI with cheap-enough, good-enough models for mass adoption.

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People try products at AI+ Power 2026, Hong Kong’s largest artificial intelligence expo and conference, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on June 4. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Artificial intelligence

Meta’s new AI research chief says agents are next big real-world milestone

UC Berkeley’s RDI centre earlier this month introduced Agents’ Last Exam, a new benchmark that tests how well AI agents perform.

Artificial intelligence

Faster AI, lower costs: DSpark eases bottlenecks and chip strain, says DeepSeek

Start-up unveils speculative decoding framework that speeds up inference by up to 85 per cent amid China’s push to overcome US AI curbs.

Alibaba

Alibaba slashes Qwen AI model price during US working hours in fight for users

The aggressive price cut comes amid intense rivalry between US and Chinese artificial intelligence firms.

The Qwen and Alibaba logos. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba chip unit T-Head triples capital amid AI hardware bet

First injection in over three years comes as Alibaba works on full-stack AI infrastructure, from its Qwen models to chips to cloud services.

Alibaba has become more vocal about its chip unit this year and is reportedly working toward spinning it off with an initial public offering. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

China’s Alipay gets AI-agent overhaul to challenge rivals Tencent and ByteDance

Fintech giant is seen leveraging its billion-user base to launch a conversational interface that coordinates 10,000 services, with safeguards.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba forges Token Foundry as it hammers AI ambitions into shape

Alibaba consolidates key AI teams under CEO Eddie Wu and appoints Qwen leader Zhou Jingren as chief scientist.

Artificial intelligence

Order coffee, book a flight, buy a burger: Alibaba broadens Qwen’s reach

As Tencent prepares a rival WeChat agent, Alibaba is moving quickly to turn Qwen from a chatbot into a digital concierge for everyday life.

The latest upgrade to Alibaba’s Qwen platform brings consumer brands into its AI ecosystem, challenging rivals including Tencent in the battle for China’s next digital gateway. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

ByteDance thinks its Doubao AI is worth paying for. Are China’s users buying it?

The tech giant’s paywall gamble may have backfired after teasing its paid-subscription options for flagship chatbot Doubao saw users bolt.

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ByteDance’s decision to introduce a paywall for its flagship chatbot Doubao saw it lose 6.1 million users and could risk the tech giant’s lead in China’s fierce artificial intelligence race, according to analysts. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Alibaba

Alibaba elevates tech chief Wu Zeming to elite committee amid AI push

Wu joins Jack Ma and Joe Tsai in committee of five overseeing group that steers company’s strategy.

Robotics

Alibaba, Tencent lead pivot from chatbots to embodied AI for robotics

Embodied AI and autonomous agents are increasingly viewed by investors as one of the next major growth areas for the sector, UBS says.

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Semiconductors

Huawei seeks to match best chips without best chipmaking gear

China’s tech champion is counting on a new approach to chip design to help it overcome challenges from US sanctions.

Huawei’s “chip queen”, He Tingbo. Photo: Handout
Alibaba

‘Sharif speed’ meets Qwen AI: how Alibaba sealed a sweeping deal with Pakistan

Chairman Joe Tsai uses firm’s mobile AI tool to draft a sweeping tech pact in moments, as ‘frontier technologies’ increasingly enter the global limelight.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba signals next phase of AI growth from investment to commercialisation

Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing giant forecasts 30 billion yuan AI revenue in 2026, with agents driving more than half of cloud sales.

Alibaba

Alibaba teases new Qwen previews, highest-ranking Chinese AI models on Arena

The tech giant released previews of new flagship artificial intelligence models, which scored well on a crowdsourced platform.

The company logo at an Alibaba office. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba brings chat-style shopping to Taobao, Qwen amid AI gateway push: source

E-commerce giant is integrating Qwen with Taobao and Tmall, enabling shoppers to use natural-language commands instead of keyword searches.

A Taobao and Tmall installation at the Alibaba offices in Beijing. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

ByteDance needs to monetise its AI chatbot. But will Chinese users pay?

Doubao’s pay plans mark a turning point for China’s chatbot sector, but user reluctance raises doubts about their viability.

Artificial intelligence

China’s Alibaba, ByteDance and Zhipu AI make the cut on Time’s first AI A-list

China’s leading AI firms earn global recognition as Time debuts a dedicated industry list dominated by US tech giants.

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba opens Qwen app to partners with China Eastern Airlines tie-up

Company pledges more partnerships to expand the agentic capabilities of its flagship consumer chatbot app.

A China Eastern Airlines flight takes off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

Huawei launches AI glasses as China battle for smart wearables intensifies

Huawei’s debut adds momentum to China’s booming smart eyewear market, which saw shipments surge 35-fold in 2025.

Huawei’s new AI eyewear weighs 35.5 grams and features various functions ranging from voice interaction to payments. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

‘State-of-the-art’ models can struggle with basic office work, says AI executive

Advanced AI can ace Olympiad maths yet falters in routine office tasks as enterprises turn to smaller models for everyday use: David Meyer.

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba’s Qwen family captures over 50% of global open-source downloads: report

Qwen hits nearly 1 billion cumulative downloads, far surpassing rivals like Meta Platforms’ Llama and DeepSeek, researchers say.

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