3 6 Ke·2026-02-07 02:22Core Insights - Alibaba's Chairman, Joe Tsai, acknowledged that the company started working on Transformer models in 2019 but failed to allocate sufficient resources for their development until the launch of Tongyi Qianwen in 2023, marking a significant entry into the AI race [1][5][24] Group 1: Adoption - The first key point emphasized by Tsai is that AI must be used in practical scenarios to generate real value, not just developed as models [6][7] - The Tongyi App is crucial in Alibaba's AI strategy, serving not only as a user interface but also as a test for the AI's capabilities in real-world applications [8][11] - The unique characteristics of the Chinese market, such as the lower acceptance of enterprise software payment models compared to the U.S., necessitate alternative paths for AI adoption, making the Tongyi App a vital attempt to ensure real usage of models [9][10] Group 2: Scale - Tsai pointed out that AI investment is shifting focus from training to inference, with major tech companies increasing their capital expenditures from $60-80 billion to $120-150 billion annually [12][12] - Inference is identified as the main battleground for AI costs, as it is a daily requirement for users and businesses, unlike training which occurs less frequently [13][14] - The ability to handle high concurrency and maintain stability under load is crucial for scaling AI models, with Alibaba opting to deploy models on its own cloud infrastructure to control performance and throughput [15][16] Group 3: Open Source - Tsai advocates for open source as a practical choice rather than an idealistic one, driven by the commercial landscape and market conditions in China [17][18] - The primary value of open source is not cost but sovereignty, allowing companies and developers to have full control over their models [18][20] - Alibaba's strategy involves making Tongyi Qianwen open source while encouraging users to utilize Alibaba Cloud for training and inference, creating a commercial loop where infrastructure usage generates revenue [22][23]