Alibaba is clearly keeping busy in the Southeast Asian market. Recent reports indicate major new or ongoing initiatives in the Philippines and Malaysia, along with general investment in the region.
In fact the cloud unit of the Chinese tech vendor is reportedly planning to set aside $1 billion over three years to nurture digital skills in Southeast Asia, which, it says, will include supporting 100,000 developers and 100,000 start-ups. It also plans to open its first data centre in the Philippines and an innovation centre in Malaysia.
The investment is apparently part of an initiative to build the region's digital talent pool, innovation and infrastructure.
The data centre in the Philippines will open later this year. It will offer a range of services such as elastic computer service, storage, and a content delivery network supporting Alibaba’s aim to drive growth in key local sectors such as fintech, retail, logistics and education.
The cloud innovation centre in Malaysia will, according to website ZDNet, be the first facility of its kind for Alibaba outside China. The centre aims to provide training in technology and business skills, as well as offering a platform on which start-ups can interact with experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts. It will be sited in Kuala Lumpur.
The cloud vendor is aiming to train 30,000 professionals in Malaysia over the next year.
