Alibaba plans $10bn share sale to fund AI expansion

The Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba Group, Eddie Wu. Photo: Alibaba

Chinese tech giant Alibaba said on Sunday that it plans to issue HK$80 billion ($10.2 billion) in new shares in Hong Kong to fund its global artificial intelligence ambitions.

The Hangzhou-based firm has been ploughing tens of billions of dollars into AI, with its shareholders eager to see how it will monetise the huge investments.

“The Equity Placement is being undertaken to extend the Company’s global AI leadership,” Alibaba said in a statement.

The company intends to use all of the net proceeds to invest in its “full stack AI capabilities, including to expand and enhance its AI infrastructure”, it said.

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Alibaba on Thursday announced nearly 269 billion yuan ($40 billion) in revenue in its most recent quarter — a nine per cent year-on-year increase -– boosted by the global artificial intelligence frenzy driving demand for its products.

The firm is known for its open-source “Qwen” AI models, which have gained popularity with developers worldwide.

AFP

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