BABA(US:BABA) Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-09-30 06:39Core Viewpoint - Alibaba Cloud aims to position itself as the "Android platform" in the AI and cloud industry, seeking to create a strong ecosystem to gain market influence and compete effectively with other tech giants [1][10][23] Group 1: Industry Positioning - The term "Android" is used to describe Alibaba's strategy, emphasizing its open-source approach and the need for a robust ecosystem to attract businesses [11][18] - The competition in the AI and cloud market is likened to a battle between "Android" and "Apple," with Alibaba Cloud representing the former and Volcano Engine potentially representing the latter [23][24] - The AI and cloud market is expected to evolve into a two-polar or even a single-polar structure, with Nvidia currently holding a dominant position [7][9][10] Group 2: Market Dynamics - The AI and cloud industry is experiencing significant growth, with a reported 400% increase in model invocation in the first half of 2025 compared to the entire year of 2024 [17] - Alibaba Cloud holds a 27% market share in China's public cloud model invocation, ranking second behind Volcano Engine, which has a 49.2% share [17] - The industry's growth is driven by the increasing clarity of growth logic centered around AI and cloud technologies, making it a critical area for investment [6][7] Group 3: Competitive Strategies - Alibaba's open-source strategy is seen as a key factor in attracting customers, similar to how Google leveraged its services to promote Android [11][12] - Volcano Engine adopts a different approach by focusing on application-level openness while keeping its underlying technology closed, which is compared to Apple's strategy [18][19] - The competition between Alibaba and Volcano Engine highlights different market strategies, with Alibaba leveraging its established customer base and Volcano Engine focusing on low-cost, high-volume token sales [20][21][22]