"Microsoft-OpenAI" model! Chinese "AI unicorn" has been invested all over, Alibaba is the biggest funder of AI in China

Author: Zhu Xueying

Source: Hard AI

The "Microsoft-OpenAI" model, as the most successful investment case in the AI industry in recent years, has become a template that many companies are eager to learn from. Now, Alibaba is following a similar path by investing in artificial intelligence through cloud computing, becoming a leader in the Chinese AI field and poised to secure a place in the global AI development wave.

Different from the traditional cash investment method, Alibaba provides cloud computing resources to allow these startups to access valuable network resources needed for training AI models.

Currently, Alibaba has invested in several domestic AI startups, including Moon's Dark Side, Zhipu AI, MiniMax, and Zero One Everything.

In February, Alibaba led a round of financing for Moon's Dark Side worth $1 billion (valued at around $2.5 billion), with approximately $800 million provided in the form of cloud computing resources, attracting widespread industry attention at the time.

On March 5th, Alibaba once again led a new round of financing for the AI large model company MiniMax, investing at least $600 million, with MiniMax's post-investment valuation exceeding $2.5 billion.

Image Source: Whale Selection Pro

These four companies play important roles in the surging tide of China's AI industry, and over the past year, Alibaba's CEO Eddie Wu personally guided the investments in these four leading AI companies, expanding a new path through the unique investment strategy of "exchanging computing resources for equity."

Considering the huge demand for cloud computing resources in China, this valuable resource is even more valuable to AI startups than cash funding.

Why is Alibaba investing so much in large models when it already has its own Tongyi large model?

Analysis by Whale Selection Pro suggests that the large models Alibaba is investing in are not part of Alibaba Cloud's strategic investment department, but rather a move at the group level. With the dissolution of Tencent Cloud's strategic investment department, it has become increasingly clear that cloud is the strategic focus for various groups.

Under the leadership of Joseph Tsai and Eddie Wu at Alibaba, e-commerce and cloud computing have become the focus. The growth point of cloud computing may largely come from large models. Cloud and large models are complementary developments for the future.

Now, Alibaba is investing in future monetization scenarios with today's cash and resources, which can be seen as securing insurance for its future.

Although Alibaba has the Tongyi large model, it's best not to put all your eggs in one basket