CertiK migrates blockchain applications to Alibaba Cloud

July 1, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Alibaba to support Meta’s AI model Llama – report

July 26, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Alibaba’s cloud computing service taps Meta’s artificial intelligence model Llama to power new software development.

E-commerce group Alibaba will become the first Chinese company to make use of Meta’s open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model Llama to power zero-cost development of programs.

According to an initial report from Reuters which cited an official statement from Alibaba Cloud through its WeChat account, the cloud computing arm of the Chinese conglomerate has deployed a Llama 2-based solution to allow businesses to develop software and tools using AI:

“Today, Alibaba Cloud has launched the first training and deployment solution for the entire Llama2 series in China, welcoming all developers to create customised large models on Alibaba Cloud.”

Meta’s Llama2 model was released in July 2023 as a free-to-use service rivaling the likes of early movers including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Bard. Meta intends to allow Llama2 to be free to use for companies with less than 700 million monthly active users.

The announcement from Meta highlighted that Microsoft remained its preferred partner for developing its generative AI tool while Llama 2 would be freely available for research and commercial use.

Meta also noted that it was adopting an open approach to provide increased access to foundational AI technology to benefit businesses around the world. This includes supporting companies around the world that are building products on Llama 2, cloud providers including the model in its offerings as well as research efforts exploring “safe and responsible deployment of large generative models”.

Alibaba Cloud is set to become one of a handful of prominent cloud computing services including Amazon Web Service (AWS) that will tap into Llama 2’s large language model.

The development comes after the United States moved to curtail the sale of select AI processing hardware chipsets in June 2023 as the country looks to retain a competitive advantage in the rapidly developing area of AI tools.

The Reuters report also suggests that the integration of Meta’s new AI model could present an avenue for the country to reaffirm ties in China. Meta’s Facebook has been banned in China since 2009 alongside Twitter, YouTube and other Western-based social media and content platforms.

Cointelegraph has contacted Alibaba Cloud and Meta to ascertain the finer details of the Llama 2 integration, but hasn't yet received a response.

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Alibaba Cloud launches NFT solution… then quickly memory holes it

June 10, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Alibaba

The firm’s NFT marketplace solution included “web hosting, digital marketing & content delivery” infrastructure, but is no longer listed on its website despite still showing up in Google search results.

The cloud business unit of Chinese marketplace giant Alibaba Group Holdings launched a new NFT solution and then promptly deleted all mention of it online.

According to a now-deleted Twitter post announcing the launch on June 8, the firm’s NFT marketplace solution included “web hosting, digital marketing & content delivery” infrastructure, but is no longer listed on its website despite.

There are also no press releases or announcements related to the NFT solution on Alibaba’s website anymore, and while the solution’s webpage link still shows up in Google search results, it now redirects to Alibaba Cloud’s solution index page.

*Deleted Alibaba Cloud tweet: WayBackMachine*

The reason behind the deleted social media posts and delisting on its website are unclear at this stage. While crypto trading and mining are banned in China, there is a regulatory gray area with NFTs in the country — officials frown upon it but are yet to issue an outright ban.

The shortly lived NFT focused solution was set to offer Alibaba Cloud Elastic Compute Service (ECS) and Auto Scaling for marketplace growth, an SMS-integrated digital marketing service for sellers to connect with buyers, and a Global Delivery Service – Alibaba Cloud Content Delivery Network (CDN) and Server Load Balancer (SLB) capable of supporting 100,000 queries per second.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) — which is owned by Alibaba — noted that the solution was intended for customers outside of mainland China, with a representative telling the publication that the solution was for Alibaba Cloud’s international website only.

The SCMP also stated that Alibaba affiliated companies such as Ant Group and Tencent Holdings have moved to avoid any potential regulatory pushback in the past by branding their listed NFTs as “digital collectibles.” They are also offered on private blockchains and are traded/purchased using Chinese fiat currency.

Alibaba Cloud does still have a new Metaverse-focused solution listed on its website that offers remote rendering, data analytics and AI, along with Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) as part of the private Alibaba Cloud Blockchain.

Under the Metaverse solution, the company does note that NFTs can be integrated into a Metaverse built off of Alibaba’s services, but the firm does not provide any of that specific infrastructure.

In April, the China Banking Association, the China Internet Finance Association and the Securities Association of China issued a joint statement warning the public away from investing in NFTs due to “hidden risks” of the assets. They also noted that businesses should not consider NFTs like other financial products such as securities, precious metals, and other financial products.

Cointelegraph also reported in March that Chinese social media giants such as WeChat and WhaleTalk updated their policies to restrict or remove NFT platforms from their networks, citing a lack of regulatory clarity and fearing a government crackdown. However, Beijing is still yet to issue a blanket ban on the sector.

Alibaba Cloud

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