As demand for
artificial intelligence infrastructuresurges, Alibaba Group Holding says it can deliver new data centres in a fraction of the usual time while cutting construction costs by 10 per cent through its proprietary modular architecture.
Using CUBE 5.0, Alibaba Cloud had slashed the delivery time for large-scale AI data centres to just 100 days, according to a report by state-backed newspaper China Securities Journal on Tuesday.
That compared with standard domestic delivery times of six to 12 months, and 12 to 18 months in the US, the report said.
, the AI and cloud computing services unit of Alibaba, also expected to more than double its production efficiency this year, measured by the volume of modular data centres delivered within a given time frame, it added.
Unveiled in 2024, CUBE 5.0 increased the overall modularity rate across five key systems – power supply, cooling, security, intelligent management and fire protection – from 30 per cent to 90 per cent in its latest iteration, according to the report.
Unlike traditional construction, where power, cooling and IT systems are installed sequentially on-site, prefabricated modular data centres split infrastructure into separate components that are manufactured simultaneously in factories. These components are then shipped in container-like units and assembled on-site like building blocks.