Alibaba Cloud Powered $1B of GMV in 68 Seconds, with Zero Downtime During 11.11
20.11.2019 05:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
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
Laserfiche Earns 5-Star Rating in the 2026 CRN® Partner Program Guide11.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Laserfiche — the leading SaaS provider of intelligent content management — has been honored by CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, with a 5-Star Award in the 2026 CRN Partner Program Guide. This annual guide is an essential resource for partners seeking vendor partner programs that match their business goals and deliver high partner value. As organizations navigate growing pressure to increase productivity and respond to regulatory change, Laserfiche’s AI-powered document management solutions enable users to transform operations and achieve meaningful business results at scale. Partners that innovate with Laserfiche solutions have the opportunity to grow profits through the Laserfiche Partner Program, which equips them with the tools and resources needed to deliver customer success. Laserfiche’s partner ecosystem drives sustainable growth, delivers differentiated solutions and maximizes opportunities for both partners and their customers. Laserfiche provides comprehensive AI and clou
I-Pulse Launches iTerra Pulsed Power Solution for Weed Control Without Chemicals11.3.2026 15:30:00 EET | Press release
I-Pulse Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO Robert Friedland, I-Pulse Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Laurent Frescaline, and iTerra CEO, Romain Leray, are pleased to announce the launch of iTerra, an agricultural technology subsidiary dedicated to non-chemical weed control within I-Pulse, the world leader in pulsed power technologies. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260311080724/en/ iTerra leverages I-Pulse’s proprietary high pulsed power technology to eliminate weeds at the root without harming crops, disrupting soil microbiology, or leaving chemical residues. Using AI-driven detection with accuracy rates of up to 95% in early trials, the system targets each weed individually with controlled, high-energy pulses lasting just five milliseconds. The treated weeds remain in the soil, where they naturally decompose, helping maintain soil health and supporting long-term crop performance. I-Pulse Co-Founder, Cha
Andersen Consulting Strengthens Platform with Collaborating Firm Ambit Iberia11.3.2026 15:30:00 EET | Press release
Andersen Consulting expands its technology and business transformation capabilities through a Collaboration Agreement with Ambit Iberia, a consulting firm specializing in digital and regulatory solutions for the life sciences sector. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Spain, Ambit Iberia provides integrated consulting, technology, and talent solutions for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. The firm supports clients in meeting evolving quality, compliance, and regulatory standards through services spanning regulatory affairs, data integrity, IT system validation, and digital transformation. Leveraging more than 20 years of industry expertise, Ambit Iberia also offers human capital and executive search services that connect organizations with specialized professionals and senior talent, enhancing efficiency and driving sustainable growth in a highly regulated environment. “Our focus has always been on delivering specialized consulting and technology services t
Canva Introduces Magic Layers, Turning Static AI Outputs Into Editable Designs11.3.2026 15:00:00 EET | Press release
Canva, the world's leading all-in-one visual communication platform, today unveiled Magic Layers, a new breakthrough technology that turns any flat design or image into something you can edit, refine, and remix to suit your vision. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260311951174/en/ Magic Layers is a new breakthrough technology that turns any flat design or image into something you can edit, refine, and remix to suit your vision. Generative AI has triggered a flood of visual content, but most of it remains locked in static image files. Even small changes can require starting over, with reprompts that can unintentionally alter the entire design. Powered by years of internal research and Canva’s growing investment in its AI development arm, Magic Layers ushers in a new era of editable content, where speed meets true creative control. Available in public beta today, it turns AI-generated content into a launchpad, no
Adtran plays key role in OIF’s OFC 2026 interoperability demo with FSP 3000 OLS, ZR+ coherent plugs and domain controller11.3.2026 15:00:00 EET | Press release
Adtran today announced it’s playing a key role in the OIF’s multi-vendor interoperability demo at OFC 2026. The showcase brings together 40 member companies, highlighting real‑world operation across open optical networks. It validates multi‑vendor 100Gbit/s, 400Gbit/s and 800Gbit/s ZR+ coherent pluggable transceivers operating over open line systems. Featuring Adtran’s FSP 3000 OLS, coherent ZR+ pluggable optics and Mosaic Network Controller, the setup extends previous years’ configurations to include C‑ and L‑band operation and multi‑layer domain control. Adtran’s 800Gbit/s ZR+ pluggables also feature in the OIF plugfest, reinforcing their role in large‑scale, multi-vendor environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260311198561/en/ Adtran’s open networking technology will be central to the OIF multi-vendor interoperability demo at OFC 2026. “Interoperability is the foundation that enables open optical netw
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