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Alibaba Shares Surge on Nvidia Partnership and Global AI Expansion

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Alibaba announced on Wednesday a sweeping set of initiatives, including a partnership with Nvidia, new global data centers, and its largest-ever AI products, underscoring its pivot to make artificial intelligence a central business priority alongside e-commerce.

The news sent Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed shares up nearly 10% to a four-year high, while its U.S.-listed shares also rose by a similar margin in premarket trading.

“The speed of AI industry development has far exceeded our expectations, and the industry’s demand for AI infrastructure has also far exceeded our expectations,” Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu said at the company’s annual Apsara Conference. He added that spending on AI will be increased, though without specifying figures. Earlier this year, Alibaba pledged 380 billion yuan ($53 billion) for AI infrastructure investments over three years.

As part of its strategy, Alibaba will collaborate with Nvidia to enhance physical AI capabilities including data synthesis, model training, environmental simulation, and validation testing.

The company also unveiled an ambitious global data center expansion plan, announcing facilities in Brazil, France, and the Netherlands, with more to follow in Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Dubai within the next year. This will add to Alibaba’s current network of 91 data centers across 29 regions. The company did not specify whether Nvidia chips would power these new facilities.

At the same event, Alibaba launched its most advanced AI language model to date, Qwen3-Max, boasting over 1 trillion parameters. According to CTO Zhou Jingren, the model demonstrates strong performance in code generation and autonomous agent capabilities, allowing the AI to act more independently toward user-defined goals compared to traditional chatbots like ChatGPT.

Benchmark tests such as Tau2-Bench reportedly show Qwen3-Max outperforming competitors including Anthropic’s Claude and DeepSeek-V3.1 in specific categories.

Additional AI products showcased included Qwen3-Omni, a multimodal system designed for immersive applications in virtual and augmented reality, with potential use cases in smart glasses and intelligent vehicle cockpits.

The announcements come shortly after Nvidia revealed a $100 billion investment deal with OpenAI, highlighting the intensifying race in AI infrastructure.

Alibaba’s cloud division, which reported 26% revenue growth last quarter, is emerging as a key growth driver as the company monetizes its AI services more aggressively.

Pattern valued at $2.4B as shares dip in Nasdaq debut

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E-commerce accelerator Pattern Group made its Nasdaq debut on Friday with a valuation of $2.38 billion, though its shares slipped 3.6% in early trading, closing at $13.50 versus the $14 offer price. The performance bucks the recent trend of strong first-day rallies for tech IPOs.

Pattern and existing shareholders raised $300 million by selling 21.4 million shares, priced within the marketed range of $13–$15. The Utah-based firm joins a wave of high-profile listings—such as Klarna and blockchain lender Figure—that have helped restore investor confidence in the U.S. IPO market after months of volatility tied to trade and tariff concerns.

Founded in 2013 as iServe by David Wright and Melanie Alder, Pattern positions itself as an “e-commerce accelerator.” It buys inventory directly from brands and resells it on platforms including Amazon, Target, Walmart, and eBay, using AI-driven tools and global marketplace expertise to optimize sales.

Analysts caution, however, that Pattern’s heavy dependence on Amazon leaves it vulnerable to changes in fee structures or marketplace policies. Trade policy shifts, such as the removal of the de-minimis import exemption, could also raise costs for cross-border sellers and complicate growth strategies.

IPO experts said the mixed debut reflects a selective investor environment, where companies with strong fundamentals and clearer risk profiles are being rewarded, while others face tougher scrutiny amid persistent inflation and labor market concerns.

Ocado shares sink as Kroger reviews automated warehouse plan

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Ocado’s shares tumbled 13% on Friday after U.S. retail giant Kroger signaled a possible pullback from its investment in robotic fulfilment centres, raising doubts over one of Ocado’s most important international partnerships.

Kroger’s interim CEO Ron Sargent, who launched a strategic review of the company’s e-commerce operations in June, told investors the retailer was conducting a “site-by-site” analysis of its automated warehouse network, developed with Ocado since 2018. He said the company was “taking a hard look” at some facilities and stressed that fulfilling online orders from stores would remain a priority.

The remarks fueled investor concerns that Kroger might slow or scale back its rollout of Ocado’s customer fulfilment centres (CFCs). The 2018 deal had earmarked 20 U.S. sites, but only eight are operational, with two more in Charlotte and Phoenix slated to open in early fiscal 2025–26.

Barclays analysts described Kroger’s tone as “cautious,” noting greater emphasis on leveraging existing store footprints.

Ocado, however, sought to downplay fears, pointing to positive e-commerce growth trends flagged in Kroger’s Q2 results and stressing continued collaboration on technology and operations. CEO Tim Steiner has previously insisted that the U.S. remains a “huge opportunity,” though he declined to confirm whether the exclusivity element of the Kroger deal would remain in place after this year.

Ocado shares are now down 18% over the past year, and Kroger is expected to provide a fuller update on its review in the third quarter.