Alibaba Cloud Powered $1B of GMV in 68 Seconds, with Zero Downtime During 11.11
Alibaba Cloud today detailed the core technologies used during the record-breaking, 24-hour global shopping festival. The data intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group applied multiple mature innovations to power the cloud infrastructure and other key AI-enabled features, enabling millions of businesses to reach hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide.
Powerful cloud infrastructure supports extreme scalability and robustness
Launched during the Apsara Conference in September, the third generation of X-Dragon architecture fully supported the shopping event. The Elastic Bare Metal Servers improved cost efficiency by 20%. X-Dragon servers seamlessly integrate computing platforms, including the Elastic Compute Service (ECS) bare metal server and virtual machines, in a single architecture.
Tapping this strong foundation, Alibaba Cloud handled extreme scalability, processing USD1 billion of GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) in the first 68 seconds of the event; volume hit USD10 billion of GMV in under 30 minutes. Overall, Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure handled a record-shattering USD38.4 billion of GMV in 24 hours with zero downtime.
Combining advanced data processing and analytic capabilities with green technologies
Apsara Operating System processed around 970PB of data to support the peak performance of 544,000 orders per second, setting a record during 11.11.
POLARDB, a database developed by Alibaba Cloud, supported sales activity with a peak of 87 million requests processed per second. The new generation cloud-native POLARDB database combines performance with compatibility and availability of traditional enterprise databases in a cost-effective manner.
Through self-developed green technologies, including liquid immersion and deep-water cooling, power consumption for every 10,000 e-Commerce transactions can be reduced to 2kWh. Overall data center energy consumption dropped 70% from last year, saving over 200,000 kWh on 11.11.
AI-enabled features to empower sellers from international brands to SMBs
Thousands of Tmall merchants were upgraded to Tmall Flagship Store 2.0 storefronts before 11.11. Version 2.0 offers a unique user interface with a 3D Taobao avatar for customers to try on clothes and jewelry, further engaging customers via rich, interactive content and an omni-channel experience. The conversion rate per purchase was increased by over 20% from last year, serving 1,167 key brands' flagship stores this year.
Alime Shop Assistant, a customer-service chatbot supported by Alibaba DAMO Academy’s machine learning technologies, handled 97% of online customer inquiries on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms Taobao and Tmall during 11.11. The virtual assistant also empowered hundreds of thousands of merchants on Alibaba’s platforms with intelligent customer services. For example, Alime answered questions during live broadcasts, extracting answers from pictures and responding conversationally. The Alime chatbot service offers 11 languages to support communications between global buyers and sellers.
Alibaba DAMO Academy provides enhanced machine translation technology for the cross-border e-commerce platform AliExpress. The technology can help small and medium-sized merchants globally to automatically translate their store and product pages into 21 languages, including Russian, Spanish, Turkish, French and Arabic, for buyers across Europe, Asia, America and the Middle East.
During the shopping festival, the machine translation service was used 1.66 billion times, with over 200 billion words translated in different languages.
Better consumer experience with live streaming and voice shopping
During this year’s global shopping festival, transactions during Taobao Live generated nearly USD 2.8 billion (RMB20 billion) in sales. More than half of the live streaming Tmall merchants selling products such as cosmetics, clothing, food, cars and electronics experienced robust growth, with home décor products seeing 400% sales growth.
This year, Taobao developed a new, real-time communications framework for audio and video on Alibaba Cloud. Network latency was reduced to 1.5 seconds from five to seven seconds, improving real-time interaction experience between broadcasters and users. Video AI identified products mentioned by broadcasters during live streaming, and audiences could view product links simultaneously displayed onscreen.
During 11.11, over one million orders were placed and processed through voice command via Tmall Genie, Alibaba A.I. Labs’ smart speaker. Purchased items during the day included 810,000 eggs, 1.4 million tons of rice and 76 tons of liquid detergent, a sign that voice shopping has become an increasingly popular trend among Chinese consumers of all ages.
About Alibaba Cloud
Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com), the data intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, is among the world's top three IaaS providers, according to Gartner. It is also the largest provider of public cloud services in China, according to IDC. Alibaba Cloud provides a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services to businesses worldwide, including merchants doing business on Alibaba Group marketplaces, start-ups, corporations and public services. Alibaba Cloud is the official Cloud Services Partner of the International Olympic Committee.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191119005400/en/
Contact information
Alibaba Group
Claudia Ju claudia.ju@alibaba-inc.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Curatis: FDA Minutes Confirm Positive Outcome of Meeting on 9. September 2025 – Corticorelin on Track for Phase 318.9.2025 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
Curatis Holding AG (SIX:CURN) received the official minutes from the FDA meeting which took place on 9. September. Based on the totality of the feedback and discussions, Curatis can proceed as planned with the clinical development of corticorelin. Corticorelin is under development as a novel treatment intended to reduce or even eliminate steroid use and associated toxicities thereby potentially impacting the quality of life of patients suffering from peritumoral brain edema (PTBE) associated with metastatic (secondary) brain tumors. The virtual meeting with the FDA provided the opportunity to discuss the clinical development plan for corticorelin and encompassed CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control), nonclinical and clinical aspects. The offical FDA minutes which Curatis received after publication of the half year results reflect the positive outcome. Curatis may proceed without delay to a regulatory submission supporting a pivotal study in patients suffering from PTBE secondary t
Merck Opens Climate-Neutral €150 Million Filter Manufacturing Facility in Ireland18.9.2025 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
Merck, a leading science and technology company, has opened today its €150 million filter manufacturing facility in Blarney Business Park, Cork, Ireland. The site is Merck’s first manufacturing facility designed for full climate-neutral operations, marking a key milestone in the company’s ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2040. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250917767425/en/ Merck's new Blarney site in Cork expands company's filter capacity, creating 200+ jobs by 2028 The 3,000-square-meter cleanroom facility supports global demand for critical filtration products used in the manufacturing of vaccines and life-saving therapies, including monoclonal antibodies, and emerging modalities like cell and gene therapies. By localizing these capacities in Europe, Merck hopes to reduce cross-border dependencies for the company’s customers. “Ireland is a leading hub for biopharmaceutical manufacturing and innova
Galderma Launches Transformative Skincare Segment With Cetaphil’s New Skin Activator Hydrating & Firming Line, in Partnership With Actor and Filmmaker Mariska Hargitay18.9.2025 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
Galderma today announced Cetaphil, the dermatologist-recommended brand trusted by millions with sensitive skin, is redefining daily skincare with its new Skin Activator Hydrating & Firming line. The launch marks an entirely new skincare segment of advanced hydration and firming solutions designed specifically for improving the appearance of aging, thinning, and fragile skin. As people age, surface skin cells stop performing at the same level, or “go to sleep,” causing fine lines, dehydration, and looser skin, in turn leading to skin looking and feeling less firm and more fragile.1 Skin Activator technology serves as a “wake-up call” to sleeping surface skin cells. The unique complex is powered by encapsulated CICA to help restore the skin’s moisture barrier to visibly plump and firm skin as well as microdosed mandelic acid to increase surface skin cell turnover to visibly reduce dull, uneven skin. In clinical trials, the Skin Activator Hydrating & Firming Lotion showed to be effective
Deciphera Receives European Commission Approval of ROMVIMZA™ (vimseltinib) for the Treatment of Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor (TGCT)17.9.2025 22:46:00 EEST | Press release
Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka, Japan; President and COO: Toichi Takino; “Ono”), today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved ROMVIMZA™ (vimseltinib) in the European Union (EU) for the treatment of adult patients with symptomatic tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) associated with clinically relevant physical function deterioration and in whom surgical options have been exhausted or would induce unacceptable morbidity or disability1. “The European Commission’s approval of vimseltinib for TGCT is a significant milestone for Deciphera, ONO, and TGCT patients across the European Union who are in need of a non-invasive treatment option. We are excited to leverage our global commercial infrastructure to bring vimseltinib to these patients,” said Ryota Udagawa, President and Chief Executive Officer of Deciphera. “We look forward to working with health authorities to ensure all eligible patients who can benefit from vimseltinib have access as quickly as p
Northern Escape Heli-Skiing Sees Global Surge in Demand as Adventurers Seek Canada’s Legendary Powder17.9.2025 19:09:00 EEST | Press release
Luxury adventure travel continues accelerating, with analysts projecting ~7.6% annual growth through 2030 [1][5]. Meanwhile, global tourism reached record highs in 2024 [2], and ski tourism is above pre-pandemic norms [3]. Northern Escape Heli-Skiing (NEH), named World’s Best Heli-Ski Operator by the World Ski Awards [4] in 2022, 2023, and 2024, continues to welcome a truly international mix of guests each winter. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250909723150/en/ Global Appeal Post-pandemic travellers prioritize remote, nature-led adventures and privacy-forward itineraries [1][3]. Adventure tourism is on a sharp upswing globally [5], while research highlights how social media and influencer content accelerate demand for marquee mountain experiences [7]. At the same time, heli-sports are forecast to expand steadily across Canada, Europe, APAC, and South America [8]. World’s Best Heli-Ski NEH operates in BC’s Ske
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom