Alibaba Gears Up to Launch Qwen 3 AI Model Amidst Intensifying Rivalry in Tech Landscape

Alibaba Group Holding is set to launch Qwen 3, an enhanced iteration of its premier AI model, potentially as early as this month, as it faces increasing competition from players like OpenAI and DeepSeek.

According to a source familiar with the situation, the new product from the Hangzhou-based firm might be introduced later in April, although the precise schedule could change. The information was not disclosed publicly, hence the request for anonymity. The Chinese news outlet Huxiu previously reported on Alibaba’s intentions.

This year, Alibaba has been rapidly rolling out AI products at an impressive rate since fully committing to the technology. The leading ecommerce and cloud computing company in China just launched a new model in its Qwen 2.5 series that can handle text, images, audio, and video efficiently enough to operate on mobile devices and laptops. Moreover, last month, it introduced an updated version of the AI assistant known as the Quark app.

Following DeepSeek’s success in surpassing OpenAI with a robust model developed at a mere fraction of the expected costs, China’s technology companies have inundated the market with an array of affordable AI services. This influx of new models from Asia poses a threat to the premium offerings from American firms such as OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, and Microsoft.

Recently, OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have also unveiled a variety of new models. OpenAI disclosed plans to introduce a more “open” model that simulates human reasoning in the coming months, marking a shift in strategy following the releases of open-source AI systems by DeepSeek and Alibaba.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)