Today (5 July 2018), Alibaba Group and Bolloré Group announced a global partnership agreement in the fields of cloud services, innovation and digital transformation, clean energy and mobility, as well as logistics.
With Alibaba Group’s aim to build the future infrastructure of commerce and Bolloré Group’s three business lines, Transportation and Logistics, Communication, Electricity Storage and solutions, there is much to expect from this partnership.
According to the press release, the two companies signed an extensive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining the areas in which their respective business units and subsidiaries, including Alibaba Cloud, Cainiao Smart Logistic Network, Bolloré Logistics and Blue Solutions, have agreed to cooperate and develop a number of relevant joint projects. In addition, the groups decided to share their expertise and market knowledge to explore new business opportunities, notably in China, Europe and Africa.
One of the main initiatives and projects include cloud computing and innovation. Alibaba Cloud would be providing various solutions such as cloud computing capabilities, big data, artificial intelligence, content delivery network and security solutions.
Simon Hu, Senior Vice President of Alibaba Group and President of Alibaba Cloud, said: “We are proud to bring our cloud computing, big data and AI technology to the Bolloré Group and support their vision of being the pioneers in digital transformation.
“The sophisticated cloud services provided by Alibaba Cloud and the expertise of Bolloré Group will complement each other and create synergy in servicing our customers more effectively as well as providing them the opportunity to succeed in digital age,” he continued.
Another direction the partnership is set to take is in smart and clean mobility and clean energy solutions. In an era when sustainability and electricity storage have become major concerns for citizens, cities and governments, both companies are looking to explore clean energy.
Since Bolloré Group draws on batteries and electricity storage technologies to deliver solutions for the production, storage and smart consumption of electricity. Alibaba is looking to implement these clean energy solutions at their data centers worldwide.
According to the press release, the two companies are exploring opportunities to co-develop solutions for Internet electric cars and buses, bringing the Internet experience (voice control, multimedia, navigation and autonomous driving) to the driving experience.
Lastly, for logistics, both companies are looking into the development of joint software and data management solutions.
Bolloré Logistics, a global leader in international transport and logistics, and Cainiao Smart Logistics Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group,have agreed to work together on identifying cooperation opportunities with their respective logistics capabilities, hubs and networks, in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.