Skip to main content
NVDA+0.16%AAPL-0.05%GOOGL+0.81%MSFT-0.01%AMZN+0.16%TSM-2.09%SPCX-2.51%META+0.27%AVGO+0.19%TSLA+0.06%SKHY-2.36%MU+0.47%LLY+2.70%BRK-B+0.14%AMD-0.55%JPM-0.51%WMT+0.90%ASMLa-1.60%V+0.39%XOM-0.26%JNJ+1.44%INTC+0.55%MA+0.61%0700.HK-1.77%ABBV+1.75%CSCO-0.47%1398.HK0.00%COST+0.70%AP2d-1.23%ORCL-0.84%AMAT-1.81%LRCX-1.31%CVX-1.17%DELL+0.86%BAC-1.05%CAT-5.75%KO-0.41%PG-0.40%UNH-0.09%0005.HK-1.90%3988.HK-0.50%HSBA.L-4.21%1816.HK+0.48%GE-1.86%ARM-2.71%0857.HK-0.83%PM+1.20%MS-0.69%0939.HK-0.21%1288.HK+0.46%AUDCHF+0.65%EURAUD-0.53%USDCHF+0.50%CHFJPY-0.47%EURUSD-0.46%CADCHF+0.45%EURJPY-0.45%EURCAD-0.42%GBPTRY+0.41%AUDNZD+0.34%GBPHKD+0.32%GBPAUD-0.30%GBPCHF+0.30%GBPMXN-0.28%NZDUSD-0.28%EURGBP-0.26%NZDJPY-0.23%NZDCHF+0.23%USDTHB+0.23%NZDCAD-0.22%GBPUSD-0.20%USDTRY+0.18%GBPJPY-0.18%EURNZD-0.18%USDILS+0.16%AUDJPY+0.15%GBPCAD-0.15%USDSEK-0.14%SGDJPY-0.10%AUDCAD+0.10%USDPLN-0.09%EURSEK-0.09%EURZAR+0.08%GBPNZD+0.08%AUDUSD+0.07%AUDDKK-0.07%NOKJPY-0.07%AUDNOK-0.07%CHFSGD+0.07%USDCAD+0.07%CHFSEK-0.06%GBPZAR+0.06%USDDKK-0.05%USDNOK-0.05%USDJPY+0.05%EURCNH+0.04%EURHKD+0.04%USDCOP-0.04%EURSGD+0.04%USDZAR+0.04%AUDSGD-0.03%EURCZK+0.03%EURPLN-0.03%PLNJPY-0.03%USDCNH-0.03%EURCHF+0.03%NZDSGD+0.02%CHFNOK+0.02%USDMXN-0.02%USDSGD-0.02%CADJPY-0.01%NZDMXN-0.01%GBPSGD+0.01%EURNOK0.00%USDHKD0.00%EURDKK0.00%XNGUSD+1.86%HG1+0.28%USOIL+0.17%S1-0.16%UKOIL+0.15%C1+0.10%XPTUSD-0.04%XAUUSD-0.04%GAUUSD-0.04%XAGUSD+0.02%GAGUSD+0.02%COFFEE0.00%BTCUSD-2.72%ETHUSD+6.63%USDTUSD-0.02%XRPUSD+0.17%SOLUSD-1.93%TRXUSDT+0.15%ZECUSDT-2.79%DOGEUSD+0.01%XMRUSDT-1.01%LINKUSD+2.46%XLMUSD-5.62%BCHUSDT-3.70%LTCUSD-3.07%UNIUSD-7.56%SUIUSD-4.10%HBARUSDT-6.95%TONUSD+12.46%TAOUSDT-5.94%AAVEUSD-3.24%DOTUSDT-7.07%ICPUSDT-4.71%ONDOUSDT-4.32%WLDUSDT+0.45%JUPUSDT+1.73%ARBUSDT-7.09%ATOMUSDT-3.09%INJUSDT-8.13%STXUSDT-3.67%FETUSDT-3.76%SEIUSDT-4.82%PYTHUSDT-3.10%TIAUSDT-3.47%IMXUSDT-8.15%GRTUSDT-5.79%OPUSDT-5.96%WIFUSDT-5.74%IOTAUSDT-2.11%AXSUSDT-0.26%POLUSDT-4.42%FARTCOINUSDT-0.79%EOSUSDT-2.69%DYDXUSDT-5.34%GALAUSDT-3.91%ORDIUSDT+4.22%RONINUSDT-2.78%NOTUSDT-0.40%NVDA+0.16%AAPL-0.05%GOOGL+0.81%MSFT-0.01%AMZN+0.16%TSM-2.09%SPCX-2.51%META+0.27%AVGO+0.19%TSLA+0.06%SKHY-2.36%MU+0.47%LLY+2.70%BRK-B+0.14%AMD-0.55%JPM-0.51%WMT+0.90%ASMLa-1.60%V+0.39%XOM-0.26%JNJ+1.44%INTC+0.55%MA+0.61%0700.HK-1.77%ABBV+1.75%CSCO-0.47%1398.HK0.00%COST+0.70%AP2d-1.23%ORCL-0.84%AMAT-1.81%LRCX-1.31%CVX-1.17%DELL+0.86%BAC-1.05%CAT-5.75%KO-0.41%PG-0.40%UNH-0.09%0005.HK-1.90%3988.HK-0.50%HSBA.L-4.21%1816.HK+0.48%GE-1.86%ARM-2.71%0857.HK-0.83%PM+1.20%MS-0.69%0939.HK-0.21%1288.HK+0.46%AUDCHF+0.65%EURAUD-0.53%USDCHF+0.50%CHFJPY-0.47%EURUSD-0.46%CADCHF+0.45%EURJPY-0.45%EURCAD-0.42%GBPTRY+0.41%AUDNZD+0.34%GBPHKD+0.32%GBPAUD-0.30%GBPCHF+0.30%GBPMXN-0.28%NZDUSD-0.28%EURGBP-0.26%NZDJPY-0.23%NZDCHF+0.23%USDTHB+0.23%NZDCAD-0.22%GBPUSD-0.20%USDTRY+0.18%GBPJPY-0.18%EURNZD-0.18%USDILS+0.16%AUDJPY+0.15%GBPCAD-0.15%USDSEK-0.14%SGDJPY-0.10%AUDCAD+0.10%USDPLN-0.09%EURSEK-0.09%EURZAR+0.08%GBPNZD+0.08%AUDUSD+0.07%AUDDKK-0.07%NOKJPY-0.07%AUDNOK-0.07%CHFSGD+0.07%USDCAD+0.07%CHFSEK-0.06%GBPZAR+0.06%USDDKK-0.05%USDNOK-0.05%USDJPY+0.05%EURCNH+0.04%EURHKD+0.04%USDCOP-0.04%EURSGD+0.04%USDZAR+0.04%AUDSGD-0.03%EURCZK+0.03%EURPLN-0.03%PLNJPY-0.03%USDCNH-0.03%EURCHF+0.03%NZDSGD+0.02%CHFNOK+0.02%USDMXN-0.02%USDSGD-0.02%CADJPY-0.01%NZDMXN-0.01%GBPSGD+0.01%EURNOK0.00%USDHKD0.00%EURDKK0.00%XNGUSD+1.86%HG1+0.28%USOIL+0.17%S1-0.16%UKOIL+0.15%C1+0.10%XPTUSD-0.04%XAUUSD-0.04%GAUUSD-0.04%XAGUSD+0.02%GAGUSD+0.02%COFFEE0.00%BTCUSD-2.72%ETHUSD+6.63%USDTUSD-0.02%XRPUSD+0.17%SOLUSD-1.93%TRXUSDT+0.15%ZECUSDT-2.79%DOGEUSD+0.01%XMRUSDT-1.01%LINKUSD+2.46%XLMUSD-5.62%BCHUSDT-3.70%LTCUSD-3.07%UNIUSD-7.56%SUIUSD-4.10%HBARUSDT-6.95%TONUSD+12.46%TAOUSDT-5.94%AAVEUSD-3.24%DOTUSDT-7.07%ICPUSDT-4.71%ONDOUSDT-4.32%WLDUSDT+0.45%JUPUSDT+1.73%ARBUSDT-7.09%ATOMUSDT-3.09%INJUSDT-8.13%STXUSDT-3.67%FETUSDT-3.76%SEIUSDT-4.82%PYTHUSDT-3.10%TIAUSDT-3.47%IMXUSDT-8.15%GRTUSDT-5.79%OPUSDT-5.96%WIFUSDT-5.74%IOTAUSDT-2.11%AXSUSDT-0.26%POLUSDT-4.42%FARTCOINUSDT-0.79%EOSUSDT-2.69%DYDXUSDT-5.34%GALAUSDT-3.91%ORDIUSDT+4.22%RONINUSDT-2.78%NOTUSDT-0.40%

Alibaba unveils new AI chip, cloud expansion

NEWS

September 22, 2026 at 06:18 UTC

3 min read
Generic AI server chip on circuit board in data center, illustrating new AI hardware and cloud expansion for BABA

Key Points

  • 01Alibaba (9988.HK) introduced its Zhenwu V900 next‑generation AI chip at its Apsara Conference in Hangzhou.
  • 02The Zhenwu V900 is slated for mass production and commercial release in the first quarter of 2027.
  • 03Alibaba (9988.HK) plans to lift Alibaba Cloud’s global data center capacity to over 20 gigawatts by 2032.
  • 04Alibaba (9988.HK) shares gained about 3% in Hong Kong after the AI and cloud announcements.

Alibaba details new AI chip and cloud roadmap

At its Alibaba Cloud Apsara Conference in Hangzhou, Alibaba unveiled the Zhenwu V900, described as its next-generation artificial intelligence chip. The company said the processor delivers three times the performance of its predecessor and is designed to support large-scale AI workloads. The launch forms part of a broader strategy that links custom chips with cloud infrastructure and AI models.

Alibaba stated that the Zhenwu V900 is scheduled to enter mass production and commercial release in the first quarter of 2027. Ahead of that, Alibaba’s existing Zhenwu chips are already deployed by more than 650 customers. These clients span industries including automotive, finance, energy and manufacturing, highlighting early demand for in-house AI accelerators across multiple sectors.

Data center expansion to more than 20GW by 2032

Alongside the chip launch, Alibaba announced an ambitious expansion of its cloud infrastructure. The company plans to increase Alibaba Cloud’s global data center capacity to more than 20 gigawatts by 2032. This target is part of a long-term roadmap that ties together silicon development, computing capacity and AI software to serve enterprise and developer demand.

The expansion plan is positioned as a response to intensifying investment in AI ecosystems by technology peers such as Nvidia (NVDA), Meta (META) and Huawei. By scaling its own data center footprint, Alibaba aims to provide the computing resources needed for AI training and inference, including workloads that will run on the Zhenwu chip family and future AI models.

Progress on Qwen AI models and strategic vision

Alibaba also updated its roadmap for its proprietary Qwen AI model series. The company said its next-generation Qwen 4 model is in training, with plans for subsequent Qwen 4.5 and Qwen 5 series. These models are intended to run on Alibaba’s cloud infrastructure, leveraging both general-purpose and custom AI chips to deliver services to enterprise customers.

Chief Executive Officer Eddie Wu described what he sees as an "enormous growth runway" for machine thinking, comparing the current stage of AI development to the early phases of electrification. He characterized "AI coding" as the light bulb of the machine intelligence era, underscoring the strategic importance Alibaba places on AI technology across its businesses.

Market reaction to Alibaba’s AI announcements

Investors responded positively to the new AI chip and data center expansion plans. Following the announcements at the Apsara Conference, Alibaba’s shares rose around 3% in Hong Kong trading. The share move reflects market interest in Alibaba’s efforts to build a vertically integrated AI stack spanning chips, cloud computing and advanced models.

The combination of a next-generation AI accelerator, a defined timetable for mass production, a large-scale data center buildout and a progressing model roadmap positions Alibaba as an active participant in the global AI infrastructure race. The company’s stated targets extend through 2032, signaling a multi-year investment cycle in AI-related capabilities.

Key Takeaways

  • 01Alibaba is aligning custom AI chips, cloud capacity and large language models into a single long-term strategy that runs through at least 2032.
  • 02The Zhenwu V900’s planned mass production in early 2027 gives a clear timeline for when Alibaba expects its next AI accelerator to be commercially available.
  • 03By targeting more than 20 gigawatts of global data center capacity, Alibaba is preparing for substantial growth in AI computing demand across its customer base.

References

  1. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/22/alibaba-ai-alibabacloud-zhenwu-v900-.html
  2. https://cnbc.com/2026/09/22/alibaba-ai-alibabacloud-zhenwu-v900-.html
  3. https://www.newsquawk.com/headlines/south-korea-is-negotiating-with-the-us-regarding-a-5-10-westinghouse-stake
  4. https://ng.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/alibaba-unveils-new-ai-chip-calls-it-chinas-most-powerful-2703394
Alibaba unveils new AI chip, cloud expansion | Trading Dashboard