Alibaba Cloud is continuing its global rollout of data centers, announcing the launch of a third site in Malaysia.

The Chinese cloud company also revealed that it will launch a second data center in the Philippines in October this year.

Alibaba first opened a cloud region in Malaysia in October 2017, at the time making it the first global public cloud platform to host infrastructure in the country.

The new data center is the latest in a series of new global locations launched this year, the most recent being a second data center in South Korea in June 2025. Other locations include a new region in Mexico and a second data center in Thailand.

In addition to the new data center locations, Alibaba Cloud has launched an AI Global Competency Center (AIGCC) in Singapore, which will provide businesses and developers with access to advanced AI models and computing resources in the country.

Selina Yuan, president of international business at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, said: “Over the past decade, Singapore has been both an innovation center and a gateway to the region’s digital economy. As we celebrate this important milestone, we reaffirm our commitment to empowering businesses of all sizes and verticals while advancing cutting-edge AI innovations and driving sustainable digital transformation in Singapore for years to come. Together with our partners and customers, we look forward to shaping Singapore’s future as a global leader in AI and cloud innovation.”

Alibaba's global buildout is part of a significant capex commitment. CEO Eddie Wu confirmed last month that the company intends to spend around $52.7 billion in establishing a "unified global cloud network."

However, the company seems to be strategically selecting locations, having exited its data centers in Australia and India in 2024. Alibaba previously included Japan among the markets it is exploring expanding into.