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Alibaba Plans UAE Data Centre Expansion in Global Cloud Push

Chinese technology group Alibaba announced plans to expand its data centre footprint in the United Arab Emirates over the next 12 months. The regional expansion was detailed during the company's annual Apsara Conference in Hangzhou as part of a broader international cloud push.

Published Source: The Straits Times
Photo: The Straits Times

Chinese technology firm Alibaba unveiled international expansion plans on September 23, 2026, aimed at scaling up its cloud and artificial intelligence computing capacity across Europe and the Middle East. As part of this rollout, the company confirmed it will expand its data centre footprint in the United Arab Emirates over the next 12 months.

The announcement was made during Alibaba's annual Apsara Conference in Hangzhou. According to the company, the regional buildout in the UAE is designed to meet enterprise demand for localized computing infrastructure and artificial intelligence applications. Alibaba also detailed plans to establish its first cloud regions in Turkey, Finland, and the Netherlands, while expanding facilities in Germany, France, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

Alibaba Chief Executive Eddie Wu stated at the conference that the company is targeting more than 20 gigawatts of global data centre capacity by 2032. Wu also announced on September 22 that Alibaba plans to train an AI model with five to 10 trillion parameters, and unveiled a new domestic AI processor, the Zhenwu V900.

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