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Alibaba Cloud has recently made an unexpected move by announcing significant price cuts for its compute, storage, and database services geared towards its international customers. The Hangzhou, China-based company revealed these changes on April 8, showcasing substantial price reductions of up to 59% on core public cloud products in its international data centers outside of the Chinese mainland. While exact details on the discounts were not provided, one noticeable reduction was observed in the Object Storage Service (OSS) resource plan, where a one-year 500GB package plummeted from $63 to $16.99. The announcement also included discounts on one to three-year term lengths, indicating that longer commitments would offer greater cost savings.
In addition to price reductions, Alibaba Cloud is set to extend its free monthly usage of Cloud Data Transfer Service for international customers, boosting the limit from 20GB to 200GB. It’s important to note that this expansion does not encompass the egress fees related to data migration away from Alibaba Cloud, a move that aligns with actions taken by major cloud providers like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon in response to debates in the EU over anticompetitive business practices. The company’s strategic push to capture a larger portion of the international market – which is currently dominated by tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon – was further emphasized by its plans to introduce financial incentives to strengthen its global partnership network. These incentives involve raising the standard discount and commission rates for resellers, as well as removing initial tier requirements and yearly commitments for resellers.
Moreover, alongside the price reductions, Alibaba Cloud has also unveiled a range of new AI products. Notably, the company introduced a service designed to facilitate the management of large language model integration and operation, aiming to simplify the process and broaden access to AI capabilities. By lowering the barriers to leveraging AI technologies, Alibaba Cloud hopes to attract more users and drive widespread adoption of advanced AI services among businesses and developers worldwide. This strategic move signifies Alibaba Cloud’s concerted efforts to not only reduce costs but also enhance the accessibility and appeal of its cloud services on a global scale.
Alibaba’s recent price cut initiatives for its international cloud offerings come on the heels of similar discounts rolled out earlier this year for its Chinese customers. The company’s consistent efforts to make its cloud services more cost-effective and competitive both domestically and abroad underscore its commitment to expanding its presence and solidifying its position as a top player in the global cloud computing market. As the cloud industry continues to grow and evolve rapidly, Alibaba’s strategic pricing adjustments demonstrate its proactive stance in catering to the diverse needs and demands of customers across various geographical regions.
