Alibaba Cloud has rolled out an English-language version of its Modelscope platform, aimed at simplifying AI model integration for a broader range of developers. The update is designed to make the platform more accessible for non-Chinese-speaking users, particularly in regions where English predominates in both commerce and technology.
Diverse AI Models on Modelscope
Launched in 2022, Modelscope offers an extensive collection of over 5,000 AI models. This includes Alibaba Cloud's proprietary “Qwen” AI models as well as contributions from Chinese AI firms like Baichuan and Zhipu. The platform features more than 1,500 high-quality Chinese-language datasets and various tools for data processing.
Originally, Modelscope's interface was primarily text-heavy and in Chinese, which posed usability challenges for non-Chinese-speaking developers. The new English version resolves these issues, making the platform more user-friendly. This update is especially beneficial for developers in South East Asia and other English-speaking regions.
ModelScope Model-as-a-Service (MaaS) framework
Modelscope utilizes a Model-as-a-Service (MaaS) framework, enabling developers to access and deploy AI models with minimal coding effort. This simplifies the process of integrating AI capabilities into applications, making it more accessible for developers around the globe.
Modelscope offers a variety of modules that allow developers to customize model inference, training, and evaluation with just a few lines of code. This flexibility enables a more tailored approach to AI model integration, meeting the specific needs of various applications.
The English version of Modelscope was announced at the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition 2024 Conference in Seattle. During the event, Alibaba Cloud demonstrated the capabilities of its Qwen model series, focusing on image and video generation. In addition, over 30 papers from Alibaba Group were accepted at the conference, with six being selected as oral and highlighted presentations.
By releasing an English version of Modelscope, Alibaba Cloud aims to widen its reach on a global scale. This move is intended to encourage greater adoption and innovation in AI among developers who primarily use English.
Market Position and Security Issues
Alibaba Cloud is currently the third-largest in global cloud revenue, trailing behind AWS and Microsoft Azure but occasionally surpassing Google Cloud in some Asian markets. The company maintains 89 availability zones in 30 regions, including 16 zones outside mainland China.
However, concerns over China's national security laws, which require data sharing with the government, have constrained Alibaba Cloud's market penetration in Western countries. These issues are similar to those faced by Chinese telecom giants such as China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, which have faced severe restrictions in the US. This doesn´t hold big tech companies back from partnering with Alibaba and other Chinese tech giants like Baidu, as recently surfaced plans of Apple reveal.
The US government has also established restrictions on the sales of Nvidia AI chips in China, a move the Chinese government is trying to counter with a state-backed investment fund aimed at bolstering its semiconductor industry. ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, is discussions to enter a partnership with Broadcom to design a sanctions compliant 5nm AI chip, while currently employing a workaround on straight purchases of Nvidia's advanced AI chips by leasing them from cloud providers based in the United States.
