Amid fast-paced changes that fill the business community with excitement, angst and trepidation, EqualOcean will publish a series of roundup articles to document the major events related to Chinese companies going global every week.
Weekly Overview（8/17-8/22）
1. The US Launches the AI "Genesis Project"
2. Amazon Data Center Count Exceeds 900 Amid the Artificial Intelligence Boom
3. Google Partners with Accel to Support India's AI Startup Ecosystem
4. Singapore National AI Plan Abandons Meta to Pivot to Alibaba Tongyi Qianwen (阿里通义千问)
5. G20 Summit Opens in Johannesburg, South Africa
6. Cainiao (菜鸟) Announces the Launch of Africa Cross-border Small Parcel Dedicated Line
7. JD.com (京东) Acquires Shares in Fnac Darty for 2.2 Billion Euros, Entering the European Market
8. CICC (中金): The Lawn Mowing Robot Industry Heralds a "Singularity Moment"
9. Didi (滴滴): Electric Vehicle Category on Brazilian Mobility Platform Now Covers Five Major Cities
10. Leapmotor (零跑汽车) Formally Enters the South American Market
11. WeRide (文远知行) and Uber Launch Fully Driverless Robotaxi Commercial Operation in Abu Dhabi
Curated Events
1. The US Launches the AI "Genesis Program"
[Event] In November, the US President signed an executive order announcing the launch of the AI "Genesis Program". Led by the US Department of Energy, the plan will construct new computing power and energy infrastructure nationwide, including expanding data centers and introducing small nuclear energy devices, to meet the continuously rising demand for model training and inference. US Department of Energy officials mentioned the plan's strategic positioning at the meeting, emphasizing its support for industry and scientific research.
With the implementation of the plan, major US cloud vendors and chip companies are expected to enter a more concentrated expansion cycle, and several states are advancing new data center approvals and supporting energy solutions. The increase in computing power supply will provide enterprises with more stable resource guarantees for model training and deployment, making it easier to keep product iteration speeds within a controllable rhythm. At the same time, the distribution of large-scale computing facilities is changing cross-regional data processing paths, bringing new variables to the supply chain planning, cost structure, and compliance requirements of multinational corporations. These changes are also worth noting for Chinese technology companies as they plan their overseas expansion.
2. Amazon Data Center Count Exceeds 900 Amidst the Artificial Intelligence Boom
[Event] Driven by the rapid expansion of enterprise-level AI applications, Amazon recently disclosed that its global data center count has exceeded 900, with coverage spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. AWS is simultaneously advancing GPU cluster expansion and network architecture upgrades in various locations, and adopting new solutions like liquid cooling to handle the high energy consumption and heat dissipation pressure brought by model training.
Global cloud service providers are entering a new round of infrastructure expansion, with computing power becoming a core competitive metric. The increase in the number of data centers drives the simultaneous growth of upstream and downstream industries such as power, communication, and cooling equipment, and prompts multiple countries to re-evaluate their energy supply and data management strategies. For Chinese cloud service providers expanding their overseas business, the project pace and regional layout of AWS hold certain reference significance.
3. Singapore National AI Plan Abandons Meta to Pivot to Alibaba Tongyi Qianwen (阿里通义千问)
[Event] Following the completion of multiple evaluations, the Singapore National AI Agency (AISG) recently decided to stop using the Meta-backed SeaLion model and switch to adopting Alibaba Tongyi Qianwen (阿里通义千问) as its national-level large model base. AISG stated that Tongyi Qianwen better meets the requirements of the government system in terms of multilingual processing, local language support, and deployment stability. AISG's choice reflects more practical considerations for technology implementation: government departments require stable Chinese and multilingual support during use, and need the model to adapt to local scenarios and data regulations. These changes also make the cooperation space for Chinese large models in the region clearer and more pragmatic.
4. Cainiao (菜鸟) Announces the Launch of Africa Cross-border Small Parcel Dedicated Line
[Event] In late November, Cainiao (菜鸟) launched a cross-border small package dedicated line aimed at Africa, initially covering markets such as Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. The company stated that the new dedicated line is smoother than previous options in customs clearance, flight stability, and last-mile delivery. The transport time for some packages can be shortened to 12–15 days, mainly serving categories like apparel, small home appliances, and 3C accessories. The stability and timeliness of the new dedicated line are more favorable for merchants to conduct regular promotions locally, maintain store ratings, and reduce returns and customer service pressure caused by transport delays. As coverage expands to more countries, the pace of Chinese brands (中国品牌)' deployment and inventory planning in Africa will become more controllable.
5. WeRide (文远知行) and Uber Launch Robotaxi Fully Driverless Commercial Operation in Abu Dhabi
[Event] On November 26th, WeRide (文远知行), a global autonomous driving technology company, and Uber, an international mobility platform, announced the formal launch of L4 fully driverless Robotaxi commercial operation in Abu Dhabi. This marks the first time that fully driverless Robotaxi service has been realized in the Middle East. Abu Dhabi thus becomes the first city outside the US to launch fully driverless Robotaxi service on the Uber platform. This launch marks a new stage for autonomous driving, moving from "testing and demonstration" to cross-border, platform-level commercial operation. By leveraging Uber's user ecosystem and scenario coverage, WeRide's (文远知行) ability to scale operations in the Middle East market will be significantly enhanced, providing a model for commercial validation for Chinese autonomous driving companies in overseas markets.