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
Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 Enters Into Service, Delivering the Most Significant Gen2 Updates to Date8.1.2026 23:30:00 EET | Press release
The Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 has entered into service, setting a new standard for the Citation Gen2 family. Launch customers and longtime Citation owners Dave Mecartney and Shannon Day took delivery of their new aircraft this week. Mecartney—an experienced aviator with nearly two decades flying Citation light jets and a member of Textron Aviation’s Customer Advisory Board—helped shape the enhancements that elevate the CJ3 Gen2 experience. Key upgrades include Garmin autothrottle technology, added pilot legroom and a fully customizable cabin environment, all driven by customer feedback. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108455097/en/ Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 enters into service, delivering the most significant Gen2 updates to date (Photo credit: Textron Aviation). The Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company. “The Citation CJ3 Gen2 deliv
SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, Announces Its 2026 Society Awards8.1.2026 19:26:00 EET | Press release
Today, the Awards Committee of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, announced the recipients of its prestigious annual awards. Honoring transformative advancements across a range of professional areas — including medicine, astronomy, lithography, optical metrology, optical design, and community leadership — the Society's awards recognize technical accomplishments as well as committed service to SPIE and support of its organizational mission. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108227351/en/ SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, awarded their Gold Medal to Maryellen Giger (pictured here with her team) for pioneering work in computer-aided diagnosis and image analysis/AI, significant impact on clinical translation, and supporting the next generation of medical-imaging scientists and the SPIE community. SPIE Gold Medal: Maryellen Giger For pioneering work in computer-aided
PUMA Appoints Nadia Kokni as Vice President Global Brand Marketing8.1.2026 17:30:00 EET | Press release
Sports company PUMA has appointed Nadia Kokni as Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, effective January 1, 2026. Nadia joins PUMA’s global leadership team and reports directly to Chief Brand Officer Maria Valdes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108099913/en/ Sports company PUMA has appointed Nadia Kokni as Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, effective January 1, 2026. Nadia joins PUMA’s global leadership team and reports directly to Chief Brand Officer Maria Valdes. In her new role as PUMA’s most senior global marketing leader, Nadia will oversee brand marketing strategy, brand marketing creative direction, integrated marketing and communication globally. Her appointment comes as PUMA accelerates its global brand ambition and sharpens storytelling around its product icons and innovation pipeline. Nadia brings deep international experience shaping and transforming leading global brands across the spor
Xsolla Kicks Off Two Weeks of Industry Programming, Community Events, and Expanding Support for Global Developers Across the UK at the Industry’s Biggest Winter Event8.1.2026 17:00:00 EET | Press release
Xsolla, a global video game commerce company that helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games, today announces a comprehensive program of events and activations across the United Kingdom taking place from January 10 to 22, 2026. This coordinated programming schedule reflects Xsolla’s continued investment in the UK and European games ecosystem. Capitalizing on a pivotal moment in the global games calendar, Xsolla is bringing developers, partners, and creators together through partnerships, live events, thought leadership, and community building. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108943976/en/ (Graphic: Xsolla) “Pocket Gamer Connects London brings together one of the most diverse and forward-thinking communities in the mobile global games industry,” said Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer. “We’re here to build all the things for the video game industry by helping developers turn grea
Golub Capital Continues Strong Track Record of Consistent Results in 20258.1.2026 17:00:00 EET | Press release
Golub Capital delivered another year of “good boring,” consistent results for its stakeholders in 2025, aided by its commitment to specialization. “We have long believed that specialization is a key source of competitive advantage for Golub Capital,” said David Golub, President of the Firm. “The past year validated this. Our deep relationships, scale and expertise enabled us to continue delivering strong results for investors, sponsors, portfolio companies and our team despite a muted M&A environment and high levels of credit stress across the private equity ecosystem. We are grateful for our clients’ trust and remain committed to building long-term, win-win partnerships that endure through market cycles.” 2025 Highlights, based on preliminary results:1 Delivering strong credit performance, record fundraising and continued leadership in sponsor finance Closed $25+ billion in financing commitments in 2025 to support existing portfolio companies and new platforms across a broad range of
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