Alibaba, a major Chinese tech company, has developed a method to complete AI data centers in just 100 days.
Alibaba's subsidiary, Alibaba Cloud, successfully reduced the construction time for large-scale AI data centers (AIDC) to 100 days using fully modular design technology, according to a report by China’s Science and Technology Innovation Board on August 11. This is a significant reduction compared to the typical 6 to 12 months required for data center construction in China and 12 to 18 months in the United States.
To shorten the construction period, Alibaba developed an architecture called 'CUBE 5.0.' Unlike traditional data centers, which sequentially install power supply and cooling systems on-site, CUBE 5.0 modularizes five key systems—power, cooling, security, intelligence, and fire safety—producing them simultaneously in a factory before transporting them for assembly on-site.
The modularization rate of the entire system has increased from 30% to 90%. This approach allows for concurrent factory production and site preparation, with completed modules transported in container form and assembled like 'LEGO blocks' on-site.
During the 100-day construction period, 30 days are allocated for factory production and site preparation, 50 days for on-site installation, and 20 days for commissioning and testing. Once all systems are built and verified, servers and network equipment can be immediately brought in.
Through modular construction, the construction cost per unit power capacity has decreased by more than 10% compared to previous generations, while computing density per unit area has increased by 5 to 10 times. The number of transformers has been nearly halved. Cooling methods can also be selected based on the data center's conditions, including air-cooled and liquid-cooled options. CUBE 5.0 has been piloted at data centers in Ulaanqab and Zhongwei, China.
Alibaba Cloud has also secured CE certification for Europe and product certification for entry into the Southeast Asian market. The company plans to more than double its global production capacity for modular data centers this year.
Wu Yongming, CEO of Alibaba, stated during a performance announcement in May, "AI is driving the advancement of all Alibaba Cloud businesses," adding that the growth momentum is shifting from traditional computing and storage to models, computing power, and AI agent services.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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