Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, today announced at its annual flagship event Apsara Conference that its proprietary foundational model Tongyi has attracted over 300,000 customers via its generative AI platform, Model Studio, a significant jump from 90,000 revealed in May.

Leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s Tongyi large models and its scalable global cloud infrastructure, businesses across automobile, gaming, travel, IT sectors have delivered enhanced customer experience and developed innovative solutions. Alibaba Cloud also unveiled a partnership with the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI) to bring the benefits of generative AI to higher education institutes through digital training initiatives.

“Our collaborations with industry-leading organizations demonstrate our dedication to delivering enhanced customer experiences and boosting enterprise efficiency through innovative solutions. Together with our partners, we want to empower more businesses and individuals to unlock the potential of generative AI through digital training and accessible cloud solutions,” said Jingren Zhou, CTO of Alibaba Cloud.

Driving the Future of Mobility and Smart Cockpits with LLMs Built on NVIDIA 

Alibaba Cloud today unveiled its large multimodal model (LMM) solution designed for automotive applications and co-developed with NVIDIA and Banma, Alibaba’s intelligent cockpit solution provider. This solution, which will be made available to China-based automakers, aims to deliver a more interactive experience for car owners and redefine the smart mobility journey. 

Through this collaboration, Alibaba Cloud’s portfolio of proprietary large language model Qwen—including the Qwen2-7B language model and the Qwen2-VL vision language model—have been seamlessly integrated with the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin™ platform for autonomous vehicles. Additionally, NVIDIA's model acceleration technology has significantly reduced computational costs and minimized latency in Alibaba Cloud models’ real-time processing of complex tasks. This ensures a smooth and uninterrupted intelligent experience for both drivers and passengers. 

This initiative marks the first integration of Alibaba’s large models into NVIDIA’s automotive platform. Leveraging Qwen's advanced capabilities in handling complex inquiries and processing visual intelligence, in-car voice assistants will be able to engage in dynamic, multi-turn conversations and even offer recommendations, ranging from providing information about nearby landmarks to proactively suggesting car headlights be turned on during snowy conditions. 

As part of the LMM solution, Alibaba Cloud’s Mobile Agent—a multimodal AI agent for edge devices—will expand the capabilities of in-car voice assistants. Utilizing the Mobile Agent’s strengths in complex task planning, self-reflection, and decision-making, users will be able to effortlessly execute voice commands, such as ordering milkshakes through a food delivery app, resulting in richer and more enjoyable in-car experiences.

Looking ahead, Alibaba Cloud plans to work with NVIDIA to adapt Qwen models on NVIDIA DRIVE Thor, NVIDIA's next-generation centralized car compute platform that combines advanced driver assistance, autonomous driving, and AI cockpit capabilities into a single safe and secure system.

Partnering with XPENG to Enhance Smart Cockpit Experience 

XPENG, a leading Chinese smart electric vehicle company, is leveraging Alibaba Cloud's AI models and robust cloud computing capabilities to redefine its smart cockpit and autonomous driving experience.

It has tapped into Alibaba Cloud's Qwen to enhance its AI voice assistant, Xiao P, for a more superior smart cockpit experience. With no specific instructions needed, the LLM-enabled voice assistant excels at understanding complex conversational contexts and user intentions. It can engage in natural and intuitive dialogues with both drivers and passengers. For instance, when a user simply states, "It's cold inside the car," the voice assistant automatically adjusts the vehicle's temperature.

In addition to utilizing Qwen for the smart cockpit, XPENG is collaborating with Alibaba Cloud to integrate large models for various innovations. Users can design custom stickers for their car's exterior through Alibaba Cloud’s text-to-image model, Tongyi Wanxiang, within XPENG's mobile app. XPENG is also exploring the use of Alibaba Cloud’s Tongyi Lingma, an AI coding assistant powered by Qwen, to enhance R&D efficiency in the latest automotive technologies.  

Alibaba Cloud also offers robust and resilient computing resources to help XPENG accelerate its training of large models for autonomous driving. 

Powering Immersive and Scalable Gaming Experience for miHoYo 

As a long-term partner, Alibaba Cloud has provided its cloud infrastructure support for miHoYo in launching its latest game Zenless Zone Zero, a new urban fantasy action role-playing game (ARPG) which received nearly 50 million pre-beta registrations, posting high demands on system stability and smooth access to the games’ reservation website.

With Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure and comprehensive product suite, Zenless Zone Zero has successfully addressed challenges in high server load, large volume of game data processing, and strong demand on platform stability, providing a smooth experience for players who logged in simultaneously on the day of its grand launch on July 4. The game has reached 50 million downloads within the first week since launch.

Building A Strong Digital Foundation for Southeast Asia 

Atlas, an innovative B2B travel technology provider in Singapore, has leveraged Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure, machine learning and AI architecture innovations to serve over 50 global travel sellers and 150 low-cost airlines around the world. Alibaba Cloud’s LLM Qwen and Model Studio platform also support Atlas’ digital chatbot, providing customer support around the clock, addressing partner inquiries regarding booking procedures and payment options.

Since collaborating with Alibaba Cloud in 2021, Atlas has reduced operational expenses by 45%. Alibaba Cloud has aided Atlas in transitioning from a startup in Singapore to becoming one of the leading industry players, revolutionizing the low-cost flight industry with its innovative travel platform. 

Additionally, Codium, a prominent software company in Thailand specializing in digital workplace solutions, has partnered with Alibaba Cloud to utilize its scalable cloud infrastructure and reliable solutions. The partnership aims to establish a strong digital foundation for businesses in Thailand and improve the Thai cloud market ecosystem by offering accessible cloud services and providing comprehensive local support and expertise to Thai clients.

Empowering the Future of Education with UNESCO

During Apsara Conference 2024, Alibaba Cloud signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement with UNESCO-ICHEI to launch the GenAI and Cloud Micro-Certification online program for global learners.

The program targets educators and students in higher education institutes including universities and colleges across Asia and Africa. The program, featuring 6 courses, is designed to deliver the fundamental knowledge and applications of generative AI and cloud computing technologies with easily understandable graphics and best practices of integrating generative AI into teaching activities to make learning more engaging, personalized, and efficient.

After completing each course session, educators and students can take an exam to obtain a micro certification jointly issued by both UNESCO-ICHEI and Alibaba Cloud. With the gradual rollout of the program, the initiative aims to benefit around 12,000 educators and students globally by the end of 2025.

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