AsiaInfo has entered a strategic co-operation agreement with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group.  The two companies will work together on projects and jointly promote China as a centre of excellence for cloud computing services and innovation.

The agreement comes as AsiaInfo steps up its transition from being a supplier of IT solutions to communications service providers (CSPs), to a specialist in enabling digital business transformation for CSPs, their partners and other enterprises.

Cloud-based delivery platforms and exchanges play a key role in AsiaInfo’s vision of the industrial and business-led internet, and the partnership with Alibaba Cloud will enable the company to continue to develop and deliver advanced operator and business solutions.

Announcing the agreement, AsiaInfo chief executive Michael Wu said: “We are entering a new era of the internet. An era where people and things become customers, where service providers and businesses become operators, and where cloud-based business technology platforms will form both the backbone and the brains of the digital network. Our partnership with Alibaba Cloud will ensure we stay at the forefront of developments and provide innovative and ground-breaking solutions to our customers.”

Simon Hu, the president of Alibaba Cloud, added: “Cloud computing underpins a new economic infrastructure driven by technological innovation that enables businesses to break new boundaries. Alibaba Cloud will bring our technology expertise, artificial intelligence capabilities and cloud security services to our customers together with AsiaInfo with a host of exciting and valuable new business solutions.”

The agreement will see AsiaInfo and Alibaba Cloud share a wide range of resources and jointly build a more open cloud ecosystem to form the basis of a comprehensive portfolio of cloud-based services.