In Depth: Alibaba Overhauls Its AI Strategy in High-Stakes Agent Race

As a global frenzy for OpenClaw artificial intelligence (AI) agents drove a massive surge in computing demand, China’s top cloud provider realized it was losing ground to nimble startups. To stem the tide, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. broke its long-standing tradition of year-end corporate shakeups and abruptly overhauled its internal architecture in March.