Alibaba's cloud computing unit to establish base in Dubai
The cloud computing unit of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding
said it would establish a base in Dubai to seek business from companies and
governments in the Middle East and North Africa.
The deal may bolster Dubai's efforts to develop as a technology center for
the region, in addition to marking an expansion of Alibaba's cloud computing
effort.
Alibaba's subsidiary Aliyun will set up a venture with Meraas, a holding
company owned by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. Meraas
is involved in about 12 local real estate projects as well as tourism,
retail, leisure and entertainment businesses.
The joint venture will specialize in developing applications and big data
operations in areas such as payment solutions, the two companies said in a
statement on Tuesday. Meraas will build a data center in Dubai.
