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Alibaba Cloud Drives AI Enhancements Across Industries in Asia

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  • Customers from technology development, imaging, travel, beauty and healthcare are leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure and AI solutions to transform industry experience whilst boosting efficiency
  • “Cloud + AI” strategy accelerates external client revenue, achieving double-digit public cloud growth and triple-digit YoY growth in AI-related product revenue for the fifth consecutive quarter

HANGZHOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 9 December 2024 – With the unstoppable market appetite for AI, Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, continues to pioneer technology innovation across a diverse range of industries from technology development, imaging, travel to beauty and healthcare.

Leveraging a robust “Cloud + AI” development strategy, Alibaba Cloud has witnessed substantial growth in external client revenue. This includes double-digit increases in public cloud services and remarkable triple-digit growth in AI-related product revenue for the fifth consecutive quarter according to the latest September quarter earnings.

In 2024, organizations are reimagining their operations and customer engagement strategies using Alibaba Cloud’s cutting-edge cloud solutions. From the revamped AI infrastructure to proprietary Qwen LLM series and advanced AI analytics, these technologies and products have grown beyond just operational tools. They are the catalysts for a digital transformation, enhancing customer experiences and operational efficiencies across the Asian landscape.

Selina Yuan, President of International Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, said, “We are thrilled to witness our robust cloud infrastructure and AI offerings empowering organizations across a diverse range of industries to further drive transformation in 2024 with our partners together. As the leading cloud service provider in Asia, we remain committed to helping our customers enhance their operations and deepen their connections with consumers, while collaborating with our ecosystem partners to unlock the full potential of AI and cloud technologies for businesses of all sizes.”

Supporting Innovation in Japanese-language LLMs

In Japan, Lightblue, a University of Tokyo startup that develops AI solutions such as image analysis and natural language processing with the aim of AI democratization, has utilized Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen to support the development of its Japanese-language LLMs.

By leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s advanced architecture and training capabilities, Lightblue has been able to enhance its offerings for East Asian languages, specifically Japanese. The company also employed other cloud solutions from Alibaba Cloud such as Elastic Compute Service, Server Load Balancer and Object Storage Service which provides efficient and secure cloud services.

This collaboration highlights Alibaba Cloud’s commitment to supporting technology startups in pursuing their innovative goals.

“Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen has proven to be the best publicly available option for supporting Japanese. By fine-tuning our LLM with Qwen, we significantly improved its accuracy. This collaboration elevates our AI solutions and advances our mission to democratize technology in East Asia,” said Shunichi Taniguchi, Director & Senior Researcher at Lightblue.

Revolutionizing image capture with great flexibility

In Malaysia, Pictureworks, a leading provider of innovative photography imaging solutions, has harnessed Alibaba Cloud’s extensive AI and cloud technologies to revolutionize the flexibility and quality of high-resolution image capture.

This collaboration has been successfully implemented at seven premier tourist attractions across Asia, with additional projects underway. Notably, by utilizing Alibaba Cloud’s robust and secure technologies, Pictureworks has produced over 150,000 photos at an award-winning theme park in Hong Kong.

Key solutions provided by Alibaba Cloud include its Platform for Artificial Intelligence (PAI), Function Compute, and Object Storage Services (OSS). PAI is designed to streamline the machine learning lifecycle, offering a fully managed service for deploying machine learning models, which enables Pictureworks to swiftly adjust AI models as needed within tight timelines.

Sharon Tse, CEO of Pictureworks, said, “Alibaba Cloud’s technology has fundamentally transformed how we capture images at Pictureworks. The flexibility it provides allows us to produce high-quality photographs without relying on traditional setups, like green screens. This innovation not only enhances the quality of our work but also enriches the customer experience by creating more authentic and dynamic photographic memories.”

Transforming Travel Experience with Significant Cost Reduction

Singapore’s Atlas, an innovative B2B travel technology provider, has leveraged Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure and AI advancements to cater to a wide array of global travel sellers and low-cost airlines. By utilizing Alibaba Cloud’s LLM Qwen and Model Studio platform, Atlas has implemented a digital chatbot that offers 24/7 customer support, efficiently addressing partner inquiries related to booking processes and payment options.

Since partnering with Alibaba Cloud in 2021, Atlas has achieved a remarkable 45% reduction in operational costs. This collaboration has helped Atlas evolve from a startup in Singapore to a leading player in the industry, transforming the low-cost flight market with its cutting-edge travel platform.

“Alibaba Cloud has played a key role in Atlas’s rapid expansion by offering a scalable, secure infrastructure. We were drawn to Alibaba Cloud primarily for its developer-friendly user interface. Our collaboration has now extended to the field of AI, which has significantly enhanced efficiency and improved customers’ experience,” said Mary Li, Founder & CEO of Atlas.

Enhancing Customer Interactions in Skincare

Drunk Elephant, a renowned skincare brand acquired by Shiseido in 2019, deployed Alibaba Cloud’s latest foundation model Qwen-max in its new customer chatbot named DRUNKGPT to enhance customer interactions in China. This 24/7 AI-powered skincare assistant responds to inquiries about product recommendations and skincare tips with nuanced and personalized responses. The collaboration aims to deliver a richer brand experience through innovative digital engagement opportunities.

To improve the accuracy and relevance of its responses, DRUNKGPT was further trained on the brand’s knowledge database and optimized using various Alibaba Cloud AI services, including Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT), Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), vector recall, and a multi-agent framework.

“Utilizing Alibaba Cloud’s advanced AI technologies allows us to create a more personalized and responsive experience for our customers,” said Andy Cai, Brand Director of Drunk Elephant China, “We are excited about the potential of DRUNKGPT to transform how consumers connect with our brand.”

AI Nutritionist with Personalized Tips

Haleon China, a prominent consumer health company, is utilizing Alibaba Cloud’s Large Language Model (LLM) Qwen, along with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technology to launch a specialized AI nutrition assistant solution called iNutrition for its Chinese consumers. This AI-powered expert accurately interprets consumer inquiries, delivering valuable nutritional guidance. It results from the integration of Qwen’s robust capabilities and Haleon’s extensive internal nutritional knowledge base.

“By integrating Alibaba Cloud’s large model Qwen with Haleon’s years of accumulated internal knowledge base, we provide one-on-one services to consumers, offering nutritional and health advice that is more closely tailored to each consumer’s individual circumstances” said Bing Liu, Digital & Tech Head, Haleon Greater China.
Hashtag: #AlibabaCloud

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Alibaba Cloud

Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud () is the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group. It offers a complete suite of cloud services to customers worldwide, including elastic computing, database, storage, network virtualization services, large-scale computing, security, big data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) services. Alibaba has been named the leading IaaS provider in Asia Pacific by revenue in U.S. dollars since 2018, according to Gartner. It has also maintained its position as one of the world’s leading public cloud IaaS service providers since 2018, according to IDC.

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MarsLab Introduces Singapore-Based AI Inference Infrastructure Roadmap for Enterprise and Edge Deployment

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MarsLab outlines a system-first approach to AI inference infrastructure for enterprise and edge deployment scenarios.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 May 2026 – MarsLab Pte Ltd today introduced its Singapore-based AI inference infrastructure roadmap, focused on deployment-oriented systems for enterprise and edge AI workloads.
MarsLab takes a system-first approach to AI infrastructure, bringing together hardware systems, software stack integration, workload validation, and deployment economics. The company is focused on practical scenarios where AI inference needs to operate reliably across real-world environments, including enterprise applications, edge deployment, and industry-specific systems.
MarsLab’s near-term M100 platform is designed for commercial and system-level validation. The platform is intended to help the company evaluate real workloads, software behavior, integration requirements, operational constraints, and customer deployment needs. These learnings will support MarsLab’s longer-term M200 roadmap, which is planned as a future self-designed silicon direction informed by practical deployment data.
“We believe future AI infrastructure should be developed with a system-first mindset,” said Zhongwei Liao, CEO of MarsLab. “Before moving toward deeper technology roadmaps, it is important to understand real workloads, system integration requirements, and deployment economics in practical environments.”
MarsLab is building its presence in Singapore and engaging with partners across Southeast Asia’s semiconductor and AI infrastructure ecosystem. The company aims to support enterprises and technology partners seeking practical, efficient, and deployable AI inference infrastructure.

Hashtag: #AIInfrastructure #AIInference #EdgeAI #EnterpriseAI #Singapore


The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About MarsLab Pte Ltd

MarsLab Pte Ltd is a Singapore-based AI inference infrastructure company focused on enterprise and edge AI deployment scenarios. The company works across hardware systems, software stack integration, workload validation, and deployment economics, with a system-first approach to practical AI infrastructure.

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CP AXTRA Partners with Ayala to Strengthen Mall Development and Asset Management

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BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 May 2026 – CP AXTRA Public Company Limited, the operator of ASEAN’s leading wholesaler – retailer Makro and Lotus’s, will strengthen mall development and asset management at Makro in Thailand under a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed with Ayala Corporation, one of the Philippines’ largest conglomerates. Through its consumer retail and mall arms, ACx Holdings Corporation (“ACx”) and AyalaLand Malls, Inc (“ALMI”), the partnership will also unlock greater shared value from CP AXTRA’s mall assets nationwide.

Under the agreement, ACx and ALMI will share methodologies and best practices in mall asset operations, leasing strategy and project development to improve operational efficiency, enhance customer experience and maximize the long-term value of CP AXTRA’s land and assets, initially focusing on seven key stores of Makro. The parties will also explore future investment opportunities related to mall and asset development in Thailand, alongside collaborative initiatives for the development of new sites and the redevelopment of existing CP AXTRA sites across the country. This is the third agreement signed between CP AXTRA and Ayala, underscoring the strong partnership and continued collaboration between the two groups, following their previous agreements to operate Makro in the Philippines and expand regional business opportunities.

“This agreement with Ayala allows us to combine CP AXTRA’s deep understanding of the Thai retail market with Ayala’s decades of experience in developing and leasing shopping mall spaces. By applying proven methodologies to our Makro mall, we aim to elevate the standards of the retail environment we offer, not only improving the experience for our shoppers and tenants, but also fostering sustainable growth and creating long-term value for our asset and the surrounding community,” said Tanit Chearavanont, Group Chief Wholesale Business Officer, CP AXTRA Public Company Limited.

“This is another milestone in our growing relationship and collaboration with the CP Group. Through this partnership, we intend to leverage the complementary strengths of two leading conglomerates to create world-class retail and real estate developments across markets. This also marks Ayala’s entry into the Thailand market, giving us a strong opportunity not only to share our expertise, but also to gain valuable insights from one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic and developed retail markets. More broadly, this partnership aligns with Ayala’s strategy of bringing the best of the world to the Philippines while showcasing the best of the Philippines to the world,” said Mark Uy, Managing Director and Group Head of Strategy and Business Development, Ayala Corporation.

“Makro’s nationwide footprint gives it a meaningful role in the everyday lives of Thai consumers. Our opportunity is to help turn that everyday relevance into places people choose to stay, explore, and return to. By combining CP AXTRA’s market knowledge with Ayala Malls’ experience in curating retail partners, improving customer journeys, and building community-oriented retail destinations, we believe these sites can become stronger platforms for shoppers, merchant partners, and long-term asset growth,” said Mariana Zobel de Ayala, Managing Director and Group Head of Leasing and Hospitality of Ayala Land.

The collaboration brings two complementary strengths together. CP AXTRA is one of ASEAN’s leading wholesale and retail operators, with more than 2,700 Makro and Lotus’s stores. The company is a regional leader in multi-format, omnichannel retail platforms across Southeast Asia and is advancing toward retail-tech company. ALMI, is one of the Philippines’ leading mall operators, managing 34 shopping centers recognized for their strong retail planning, curated tenant mix, and enhanced customer experience across Southeast Asia. With extensive expertise in leasing, mall operations, facility management, and mixed-use development, ALMI is well positioned to support CP AXTRA in maximizing the value and potential of its Makro mall assets in Thailand. Ayala Corporation also brings a broader consumer and enterprise ecosystem that can complement CP AXTRA’s regional retail expansion, while ACx, its consumer retail unit, adds perspective on evolving customer behavior, format innovation, and retail partnerships.

The MoC builds on the two groups’ existing strategic partnership, which began in 2025 with the formation of CP AXTRA AC CORPORATION to operate Makro stores in the Philippines and was expanded to include a wider range of collaborative opportunities. This new agreement deepens that partnership further, marking the first time Ayala will bring its mall development and leasing expertise directly to CP AXTRA’s operations in Thailand.

Hashtag: #CPAXTRA

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About CP AXTRA

CP AXTRA Public Company Limited, is an operator of Asia’s leading wholesaler and retailer, Makro and Lotus’s. The Company is based in Thailand, with operation across 10 countries. CP AXTRA is committed to fulfilling people’s lives with good health, love, joy, and well-being, by providing solutions and meeting customers’ daily needs with technology, innovation, and operational excellence. With over 30 years of retail experience, CP AXTRA is a trusted partner for both B2B and B2C customers, offering a comprehensive range of products and services. Today, it manages over 2,700 offline stores in Thailand and Asia, with strong online presence.

About Ayala Corporation

For more than 190 years, Ayala Corporation has been building businesses that enable people to thrive.
Ayala, currently one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines, has meaningful presence in real estate, banking, digital services and telecommunications, and renewable energy. It likewise has a growing presence in healthcare, mobility, and logistics as well as investments in industrial technologies, education, and other ventures. Ayala manages its corporate social responsibility initiatives through Ayala Foundation.

About Ayala Malls

Ayala Malls is the premier lifestyle mall network in the Philippines, known for creating vibrant, well-curated destinations that bring together shopping, dining, culture, and community experiences. With 34 malls nationwide, Ayala Malls continues to lead in elevating the Filipino retail experience by offering a diverse mix of global and local brands, innovative spaces, and enriching events that celebrate local creativity and inclusivity. As part of Ayala Land, the country’s leading real estate developer, Ayala Malls is committed to building dynamic, sustainable spaces where people can connect, thrive, and enjoy life’s everyday moments.

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Aon Brings Leadership Forum to Manila to Help Organisations Navigate Risks and Drive Growth

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MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 May 2026 – Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, is today hosting its Better Decisions Leadership Forum in Manila, bringing together senior business leaders to discuss how organisations can navigate from risk to resilience and growth in an increasingly complex environment. The invitation-only forum is taking place at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati.

The event is expected to convene more than 70 C-suite and senior business leaders from top organisations across the Philippines for a closed-door exchange on managing economic, workforce, climate and operational pressures. By bringing together diverse perspectives, the forum aims to foster practical insights and strategies that help organisations navigate uncertainty, protect their businesses and drive sustainable growth.

The program will be officially opened by Karl Hamann, CEO of Philippines for Aon, followed by a keynote from Andrew Jeffries, country director for the Asian Development Bank on the macroeconomic and geopolitical trends shaping the business environment.

Notable speakers include Terence Williams, head of Commercial Risk in Asia Pacific for Aon, and other firm executives alongside external regional leaders, including Annacel Natividad, chief risk officer and sustainability head for Aboitiz Foods Group, and Raymond Martin Aguilar, vice president and head of risk and property management for Globe Telecom, Inc.

“This forum reflects a fundamental shift in how organisations are evolving their approach to risk,” said Williams. “Across Asia Pacific, we are seeing a growing focus on using data and analytics to understand trade-offs, test scenarios and act with greater confidence. Bringing leaders together to share practical experience is critical to strengthening resilience while continuing to drive growth.”

A central feature of the forum will be a C-suite panel on adaptive leadership in a digital world, where senior leaders will share how they are balancing risk, resilience and growth, and the decisions shaping their organisations today. The session will be moderated by Irma Gaviola, head of Commercial Risk, Philippines for Aon.

The program will include risk masterclasses focused on key enterprise exposures, including cyber and climate risks, exploring how organisations can quantify risk, strengthen resilience and design more effective risk transfer strategies.

Participants will also be introduced to Aon’s Risk Analyzers, an interactive environment where clients can experience a suite of analytics-led tools that support scenario testing and supports better risk capital decisions. The tools are designed to help organisations assess exposures and evaluate strategic choices in real time.

“The Philippines sits at the intersection of strong economic growth and increasing risk complexity, said Hamann. “This forum creates a space for candid dialogue and practical insights to help organisations navigate risk with greater clarity and confidence.”

The Better Decisions Leadership Forum is part of Aon’s ongoing commitment to helping organisations turn insight into action – enabling more informed decision-making to protect and grow their business.

Hashtag: #Aon

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Aon

(NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues provide clients in over 120 countries with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that help protect and grow their businesses.

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Disclaimer
The information contained in this document is solely for information purposes, for general guidance only and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although Aon endeavours to provide accurate and timely information and uses sources that it considers reliable, the firm does not warrant, represent or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or fitness for any purpose of any content of this document and can accept no liability for any loss incurred in any way by any person who may rely on it. There can be no guarantee that the information contained in this document will remain accurate as on the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No individual or entity should make decisions or act based solely on the information contained herein without appropriate professional advice and targeted research.

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