Alibaba is packing up its cloud datacentre toys in Australia and India, signaling a strategic retreat that might raise a few eyebrows and certainly a few IT manager blood pressures. The tech giant is redirecting its focus toward Southeast Asia and Mexico, which seem to promise shinier opportunities—or perhaps just less tricky market dynamics. This shift comes despite earlier assurances that Australian operations would continue unscathed, showing that in the world of corporate strategies, today’s promise might be tomorrow’s ancient history.
The nitty-gritty details aren’t exactly bedtime reading, but they’re important. The Indian datacentre will clock out at midnight on July 15, UTC+5:30 style, with Australia turning the lights off by September 30, UTC+10. While Alibaba didn’t directly spill the beans on why it’s exiting stage left from these regions, whispers of geopolitical tensions and the crushing competition from cloud giants like AWS and Google might give us a clue. It’s like trying to play monopoly with your rich cousins; sometimes, it’s easier to just pack up and find a less competitive board game.
With clients now looking at a fast-approaching ‘move-it-or-lose-it’ deadline, Alibaba suggests simply shifting data to another of its cloud regions. However, the more cheeky customers might just take this breakup as a chance to swipe right on a different provider. After all, if the cloud provider market were a dating scene, Alibaba just unintentionally set up its ex-customers on some pretty appealing blind dates with its rivals. Who knew data could have such an adventurous love life?
**Hot Take**
Let’s face it, Alibaba’s cloud datacenter closure is the corporate equivalent of “It’s not you, it’s me.” As they redirect their cloud romance to Southeast Asia and Mexico, one can’t help but wonder if they left a “Dear John” letter for AWS and Google, or if this break-up was via text. Meanwhile, customers are updating their relationship status to “It’s complicated” while eyeing other suitors. Here’s to hoping their data doesn’t get too dizzy from all the rebounding!
Original Article: https://www.techradar.com/pro/alibaba-cloud-closes-some-key-datacenters-as-it-pivots-to-different-markets