Alibaba

Chinese regulators are considering permitting ByteDance and Alibaba to buy Nvidia's newest chips, according to a report by The Information. The move would mark a potential easing of restrictions on advanced US semiconductors for major Chinese tech firms, and is drawing attention given ongoing US-China tensions over export controls and AI computing power.

Alibaba has launched Qwen Intelligence as a full-stack agentic AI platform designed for smartphones. The move positions Qwen to power on-device AI assistants that can carry out tasks autonomously rather than simply answering questions. It puts Alibaba in direct competition with other tech giants racing to supply phone makers with agentic AI software as smartphones become the main battleground for consumer AI.

Investors and analysts are debating whether Alibaba's heavy spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and development can pay off. The discussion centers on whether the Chinese e-commerce giant's capital expenditure on AI will deliver sustainable returns or strain profitability, as competition in China's AI sector intensifies and the company works to reassure markets about its long-term strategy.