This week’s news roundup highlights some breakthroughs by Alibaba Group.
Wanx 2.1, the latest AI-powered visual content creation model, sets a new benchmark in video generation. Tongyi Lingma AI Programmer revolutionizes software development by enabling AI and humans to co-code. Cainiao’s upgraded GT Pro autonomous delivery vehicles offer enhanced logistics capabilities. Meanwhile, Accio AI Search Engine simplifies global B2B transactions for small and medium-sized businesses. Finally, Tmall’s 2024 New Store Growth Report highlights Tmall’s leadership in fostering entrepreneurship and consumer market vitality.
These innovations demonstrate Alibaba’s commitment to driving efficiency, creativity, and business growth across industries.
Alibaba Cloud launches Wanx 2.1: Advances in AI-driven visual content creation
Alibaba Cloud announced Wanx 2.1, the latest version of the multimodal large-scale model Tongyi Wanxiang (Wanx). It first debuted in July 2023. Designed to generate high-quality images and videos from text input, Wanx 2.1 represents a significant advancement in AI. – Enhance visual content creation.
Upgraded models excel at producing realistic visuals by accurately managing complex movements, improving pixel quality, adhering to physical rules, and improving instruction follow-through accuracy . These advances have propelled Wanx 2.1 to the top of the VBench leaderboard, the leading benchmark suite for video generation models. With an overall score of 84.7%, it excels in key areas such as dynamic motion, spatial relationships, and multi-object interaction.
Wanx 2.1 has demonstrated the ability to handle large-scale body movements and complex rotations in difficult scenarios such as figure skating, swimming, and diving. Maintain body alignment and realistic movement trajectories, setting a new standard in video generation. Additionally, it achieves a milestone as the first video generation model to support both Chinese and English text effects, meeting diverse creative needs across industries such as advertising and short video production.
This model is currently available for free on China’s official website. Individual developers and enterprise users can explore the possibilities through Model Studio, Alibaba Cloud’s generative AI platform.
Alibaba Cloud launches Tongyi Lingma AI programmer to improve coding efficiency
On January 8, Alibaba Cloud announced the full rollout of Tongyi Lingma AI Programmer, the world’s first AI programming tool that supports both VS Code and JetBrains IDE. This advanced tool goes beyond traditional AI-assisted coding, allowing developers to collaborate with AI through interactive interactions to complete complex tasks such as end-to-end project development, problem solving, and batch unit test generation. Allow it to be completed.
Powered by the upgraded Qwen 2.5 coder model, AI programmers excel at generating accurate and efficient code. It supports complex tasks such as multi-file code editing, allowing developers to modify multiple files simultaneously, compare changes, and adopt changes with one click. If unexpected results or requirements change, developers can easily revert to a previous state using the snapshot feature.
The tool also significantly improves unit testing by allowing batch generation of tests for single or multiple code files. Automatically compile, debug, and fix errors to improve accuracy and test coverage. Additionally, Tongyi Lingma removes language barriers in coding, allowing developers to work seamlessly between languages such as Java, Python, and JavaScript. For example, creating a fully functional, visually enhanced front-end page with user login and data management features now takes just 10 minutes instead of half a day.
Cainiao unveils upgraded autonomous delivery vehicle GT Pro
Cainiao has launched GT Pro, its latest L4 level autonomous delivery vehicle for public roads. This is the first major upgrade for the Cainiao GT since its debut in 2024. GT Pro brings significant advances in design, algorithm optimization, range, and interactivity. With dimensions comparable to a small passenger car, it can adapt to a variety of road scenarios, carry 600 to 800 pieces of luggage within 5 cubic meters of cargo space, and has an impressive range of 180 kilometers.
Upgrades include an interactive frontlight display for status communication and an enhanced sensor suite with one LiDAR and 11 high-resolution cameras for accurate environmental awareness. These enhancements improve your ability to more accurately detect and react to your surroundings.
Cainiao has accumulated over 5 million kilometers of real-world autonomous driving experience and delivered over 40 million packages using autonomous vehicles, solidifying its leadership in this field. By December 2024, the GT series will be deployed to more than 10 provinces in China, including Zhejiang, Shandong, and Jiangsu, with operations in more than 30 regions.
Going forward, Cainiao aims to evolve from high-precision mapping to map-free navigation, expand use cases such as supermarket delivery, and develop customized GT Pro models to meet different business needs. This advancement highlights Cainiao’s commitment to innovation and efficiency in logistics technology.
500,000 SMBs adopt Alibaba’s Accio AI for smarter procurement
In just two months since its launch, Alibaba International’s AI-powered search engine Accio has revolutionized the way small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) source products around the world. Already trusted by over 500,000 small and medium-sized businesses, Accio is reshaping the B2B trade landscape with intuitive natural language processing capabilities.
The platform connects buyers across 7,600 product categories with millions of suppliers, making product sourcing simpler and more efficient. Its “Accio Inspiration” feature increased supplier conversion rates by nearly 30%. Additionally, tools such as Accio Page and Accio Agent provide dynamic product comparisons and seamless follow-up of inquiries and logistics.
Accio proved invaluable during the holiday season, with over 50,000 small businesses relying on Accio for Black Friday and Christmas inventory planning. Named Product of the Day by Product Hunt and achieving a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of over 50, Accio has earned its place as an essential tool for global trade.
Accio supports five languages, with more on the way, and continues to help small and medium-sized businesses make smarter sourcing decisions while saving time and resources. Discover the future of B2B sourcing with Accio.ai.
Tmall’s 2024 new store growth report
Tmall’s 2024 New Store Report shows impressive growth, with the number of new merchants increasing by 83% year-on-year. More than 733 brands have annual sales exceeding RMB 10 million, and 32 brands exceed RMB 100 million, reflecting the strong momentum of entrepreneurship and consumer market vitality. Tmall remains the top choice for building and growing your brand.
Popular categories driving this success include phone accessories, snacks, cycling equipment, tea sets, condiments, trendy toys, bags, and modern Chinese fashion. Notable trends include the rapid growth of mobile phone case brands and the cycling equipment sector, which saw sales increase by 77.8%. New entrants like Rapha and HEXKIN quickly became leaders in their categories after launching on Tmall.
Guangzhou is leading the way in entrepreneurial activity, with Quanzhou and Zhengzhou emerging as new hotspots. Tmall’s enhanced “Blue Star Plan” supports new brands with benefits such as deposit waivers, increased traffic, and promotional opportunities, helping merchants achieve rapid growth and success .
