This week, Alibaba made significant strides in AI, e-commerce, and accessibility. Alibaba Cloud introduced its open-source AI reasoning model, QwQ, which boasts advanced analytical capabilities, and the multimodal image editing tool ACE, enhancing AI-driven creative tasks.
Meanwhile, Amap Maps also marked the second anniversary of its Wheelchair Navigation feature, now used in 58 cities across China, improving accessibility for millions of people with disabilities.
In the global space, Tmall Global launched its Black Friday shopping event with a 28-hour livestream, offering major discounts on overseas brands and imported products to Chinese consumers. Alibaba.com celebrated the KEL Award Grand Finale in Ho Chi Minh City, recognizing outstanding B2B sellers from South and Southeast Asia.
On the infrastructure front, Alibaba Cloud unveiled the “Hong Kong Tech for Future” initiative, strengthening its cloud infrastructure and AI services in Hong Kong, while continuing to support local businesses and talent development. These initiatives highlight Alibaba’s ongoing efforts to innovate and expand its impact across various sectors.
Alibaba Cloud Unveils Open-source AI Reasoning Model QwQ and New Image Editing Tool
There is growing attention on reasoning models, which are AI systems designed to simulate human reasoning for problem solving and decision making. The trend coincides with the gradual shift in AI demand from model training to inference, and expanded discussions about test-time compute (also known as inference compute), which refer to the allocation of additional processing time for models during operation for enhanced reliability and sensibility of content output.
Against this backdrop, Alibaba Cloud has recently released its reasoning AI model QwQ (Qwen with Questions). The released version QwQ-32B-Preview, an open-source experimental research model with 32 billion parameters, showcases impressive analytical capabilities.
Currently in its preview phase, the AI model can process prompts up to 32,000 tokens in length. It excels in solving complex problems in mathematics and programming, surpassing state-of-the-art (SOTA) models in benchmarks like MATH-500—a comprehensive set of 500 mathematics test cases—and the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), demonstrating impressive mathematical skills and problem-solving prowess.
The model’s responses to prompts reveal its ability to engage in multi-step reasoning, constructing intricate thought processes. This includes deep introspection, where it questions its own assumptions, participates in thoughtful self-dialogue, and analyzes each step of its reasoning.
Despite these advancements, significant challenges remain. The research team notes in the paper that while the model performs exceptionally in mathematics and coding, it requires further development in areas like common-sense reasoning and nuanced language comprehension. It’s available on Huggingface and ModelScope.
On the multimodal front, Alibaba Cloud also unveiled ACE (All-round Creator and Editor), a unified foundational model framework that supports various visual generation tasks, including image generation and editing, allowing complex and precise editing requests to be easily accomplished through multi-turn interactions. To facilitate this enhanced function, the research team developed a unified condition format named Long-context Condition Unit (LCU), which supports multimodal inputs and incorporates long-context conditions to enhance comprehension. Then, the team proposed a novel Transformer-based diffusion model that further enhances training for various generation and editing tasks.
Amap’s Wheelchair Navigation Expands Accessibility Across China
In the two years since its launch in November 2022, Amap Maps’ Wheelchair Navigation feature has planned over 1.5 billion accessible routes, transforming mobility for China’s 85 million people with disabilities, including 24 million wheelchair users. Starting in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, the service now spans 58 cities, offering critical tools to reduce travel anxiety and empower users to explore their surroundings with confidence.
The initiative began with feedback from an Alibaba employee with a disability, inspiring Amap engineers and volunteers to create China’s first nationwide accessible navigation service. Volunteers even tested routes in wheelchairs to refine the product. In 2024, the feature expanded to include support for visually impaired users, further broadening its reach and impact.
Stories of users reclaiming independence and pursuing new experiences underscore the societal importance of accessible technology. Amap is committed to sharing its expertise with other platforms, encouraging more inclusive digital innovations to help create a truly barrier-free world.
Alibaba.com Celebrates B2B Excellence at KEL Award Grand Finale
The KEL Award Grand Finale, held on November 14, 2024, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, celebrated the resilience and innovation of top B2B sellers from South and Southeast Asia. Winners included Ms. Xuan Hai Yen (Vietnam), Ms. Natasha Gogna (India), and Mr. Tayyub Hussnain (Pakistan), whose entrepreneurial journeys showcased the transformative power of Alibaba.com in enabling global growth for SMEs.
From Ravin Sadh’s sustainable exports spanning 35 countries to Xuan Hai Yen’s digital transformation of a family business, the event highlighted how Alibaba.com empowers businesses to scale internationally. As a catalyst for global trade, Alibaba.com continues to redefine e-commerce by unlocking opportunities for ambitious entrepreneurs worldwide.
Tmall Global Brings Black Friday Deals to China with 28-Hour Livestream
Tmall Global is kicking off its Black Friday shopping festival with a 28-hour livestream event from November 28 to November 29, bringing global deals to Chinese consumers without time zone barriers. Shoppers can enjoy discounts as steep as 80% off on nearly 20,000 overseas brands and millions of imported products. Highlights include luxury items like Louis Vuitton scarves and Sony PS5 consoles at heavily reduced prices.
Tmall’s overseas buying team will host live broadcasts from nine countries, featuring popular destinations such as Paris’s La Vallée Village and Tokyo’s Tanukikoji Shopping Street. Top global brands, including La Roche-Posay, Razer, and Revolve, offer giveaways, including millions in red envelopes and surprise free orders.
Tmall Global continues to lead China’s cross-border e-commerce market with fast delivery services, improved product quality assurance, and advanced anti-counterfeiting measures, making international shopping more accessible and trustworthy for Chinese consumers.
Idle Fish Highlights Emerging Trends in Gen Z Hobby Consumption
At the 2024 F&M Innovation Festival in Beijing, Idle Fish shared insights into Gen Z’s hobby consumption habits, identifying five major trends: frequent switching of interests, “multiplying” investments in collectible items, skill monetization, interest-based sharing and exchanges, and socialization through hobbies. With 22% of Idle Fish’s 600 million users born after 2000, the platform has become a hub for young people exploring their passions.
Idle Fish has seen explosive growth in secondhand transactions for hobby-related items like collectible cards, blind boxes, and fan merchandise. These items are often resold to fund new interests, reflecting Gen Z’s dynamic and exploratory consumer mindset. Additionally, many users are monetizing skills like custom toy design and blind box curation, turning hobbies into lucrative side gigs.
The platform also fosters social connections through shared interests, such as renting photography equipment for concerts or hosting fan-driven “birthday café” events to celebrate idols. Idle Fish has responded to these trends by introducing new features like themed activities and a dedicated anime and fan economy sub-channel.
Alibaba Cloud Expands Investment in Hong Kong with “Tech for Future” Initiative
On November 27, Alibaba Cloud announced its “Hong Kong Tech for Future” initiative to bolster its cloud infrastructure, enhance AI support for local businesses, and foster talent development. According to Gartner, as the top IaaS cloud provider in Hong Kong, Alibaba Cloud has achieved over 60% year-on-year growth in customer numbers and double-digit revenue growth.
The initiative includes offering AI courses in schools, startup credits, and learning resources to lower entrepreneurial barriers. Prominent partnerships were also revealed, including collaborations with Hong Kong Telecom to optimize its payment platform and with Lawsgroup to establish a global, low-latency network for enhanced connectivity.
Alibaba Cloud’s continued leadership in Hong Kong underscores its commitment to advancing digital transformation in industries such as finance, retail, and media, serving clients like MTR, Chow Tai Fook, and TVB. With operations in 28 global regions, Alibaba Cloud remains a cornerstone of innovation and digital infrastructure worldwide.
