Alibaba Cloud has introduced Qwen2.5-Omni-7B, its latest artificial intelligence model in the Qwen series, as the race for AI dominance in China intensifies. The launch comes after the recent rise of DeepSeek, which has pushed many companies to accelerate their AI innovations.
This new model is multimodal, meaning it can process and understand text, images, audio, and video while generating real-time text and natural speech responses, according to an announcement on Alibaba Cloud’s website.
Alibaba Cloud highlighted that Qwen2.5-Omni-7B is designed for use on edge devices like smartphones, ensuring high efficiency without sacrificing performance.
“This unique combination makes it a strong foundation for cost-effective AI applications, especially for intelligent voice technology,” the company stated.
For example, the model could assist visually impaired individuals by providing real-time audio descriptions of their surroundings, making navigation easier.
Following the industry trend set by DeepSeek, Alibaba has made its new AI model open-source, making it available on platforms like Hugging Face and GitHub. In recent years, Alibaba Cloud has contributed significantly to open-source AI, having released over 200 generative AI models. Open-source AI allows developers to access and modify the technology, helping to drive innovation across industries.
China’s AI industry has seen rapid developments, with major tech companies launching new AI products and models at an unprecedented pace.
- Baidu recently introduced a new multimodal model along with its first reasoning-focused AI model.
- Alibaba launched an updated Qwen 2.5 AI model in January and released a new version of its AI assistant, Quark, earlier this month.
To strengthen its AI and cloud computing capabilities, Alibaba announced a $53 billion investment over the next three years—surpassing its AI spending from the past decade.
Kai Wang, a senior equity analyst at Morningstar Asia, told CNBC that companies like Alibaba, which develop both AI models and cloud computing infrastructure, are well positioned to benefit from China’s AI boom.
Alibaba has also made significant business moves to expand its AI reach:
- Last month, Alibaba confirmed a partnership with Apple to integrate AI into iPhones sold in China.
- On Wednesday, Alibaba announced a collaboration with BMW, aiming to incorporate its AI into BMW’s next-generation smart vehicles.
With these developments, Alibaba is positioning itself as a key player in the AI revolution, competing with other Chinese tech giants to shape the future of artificial intelligence.
