Alibaba Cloud Expands Its Presence With Second Data Centre Launch In Dubai

Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology arm of Alibaba Group, has inaugurated its second data centre in Dubai at GITEX Global 2025. This move signifies a substantial expansion in the region's cloud and AI infrastructure. The new facility addresses the increasing demand for AI and cloud services among local businesses and is part of Alibaba's RMB380 billion (US$53 billion) global investment plan over the next three years.

The launch enhances Alibaba Cloud's offerings with improved AI, data, and storage solutions to foster regional business growth. This centre is set to bolster network performance, resilience, and disaster recovery capabilities significantly. Eric Wan, Vice President of Alibaba Cloud International and General Manager for the Middle East, Türkiye, and Middle Asia, highlighted that this facility underscores the company's dedication to supporting an AI-driven future in the region.

During GITEX Global 2025, Alibaba Cloud revealed strategic collaborations with various regional and global enterprises across sectors like finance, healthcare, gaming, and media. Wio Bank entered into an agreement with Alibaba Cloud to boost innovation in AI and fintech by integrating Alibaba’s Qwen large language model and Platform for AI to create secure AI-powered banking agents hosted on local servers.

BYOND Asia teamed up with Alibaba Cloud to enhance its HoloMe digital human solution using Arabic-first AI avatars tailored for the Middle East. This partnership leverages Alibaba’s large language models and global infrastructure. ACCUMED, a leading healthcare revenue cycle management provider in the region, also announced a collaboration with Alibaba Cloud and OneCloud to implement AI-driven solutions for medical coding and eClaims processing.

The Game Company plans to utilise Alibaba Cloud’s low-latency infrastructure for delivering high-performance gaming services globally. Meanwhile, Atos has joined as a reseller partner to offer Alibaba’s cloud and AI products to enterprise clients across the Middle East and Asia Pacific. These partnerships highlight Alibaba Cloud's expanding influence in diverse industries.

Since establishing its first regional data centre in 2016, Alibaba Cloud has supported both private and public sectors throughout the UAE and broader Middle East. The company now serves key industries such as banking, media, and government. This reflects its growing role in driving digital transformation and innovation within the region.

"The Middle East’s strong AI adoption and collaborative ecosystem enable both private and public sector innovation," said Eric Wan. "Our mission is to empower more businesses to succeed through our robust infrastructure and AI capabilities."

With inputs from WAM