TECH

Alibaba Consolidates AI Efforts Into New Token Hub Unit

Published: Mar. 17, 2026 1:02 a.m. GMT+8

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Alibaba announced the formation of the Alibaba Token Hub (ATH) business group on March 16. Photo: VCG

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is overhauling its artificial intelligence business by creating a new division that consolidates its various AI teams, to be headed directly by CEO Eddie Wu.

The tech giant announced the formation of the Alibaba Token Hub (ATH) business group on Monday. The new group will integrate existing Alibaba units Tongyi Lab, MaaS business line, Qwen, Wukong, and AI Innovation, covering everything from foundational model research to AI applications for individuals and businesses.

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Alibaba formed the Alibaba Token Hub (ATH) to consolidate AI teams and will be led by CEO Eddie Wu.
ATH integrates units like Tongyi Lab, Qwen, Wukong, MaaS, and AI Innovation, covering foundational research to AI applications.
The restructuring follows leadership departures, major app growth (Qwen app >100M monthly users), and a 20% stock drop amid high AI investment.

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Who’s Who

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is overhauling its AI business by forming the Alibaba Token Hub (ATH) business group, consolidating various AI teams under CEO Eddie Wu's direct oversight. This aims to streamline resources amid fierce competition and recent personnel changes, including the departure of its large-model chief. The restructuring also follows a spin-off from Alibaba Cloud in November 2024.

Alibaba Cloud: Alibaba Cloud's CTO, Zhou Jingren, will lead Tongyi Lab, a unit focusing on foundational model research and development. The article states that the Qwen C-end Business Group, which boasts over 100 million monthly active users, was spun off from Alibaba Cloud in November 2024.

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What Happened When

November 2024：: The team that would become the Qwen C-end Business Group was spun off from Alibaba Cloud.

November 17, 2025：: The Qwen app was launched.

December 9, 2025：: Alibaba merged two units to form the Qwen C-end Business Group, led by Vice President Wu Jia.

By January 17, 2026：: Qwen app monthly active users on PC and mobile exceeded 100 million within two months of launch.

February–March 2026：: Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed shares fell more than 20% from a recent high of HK$174.2 to around HK$134.

Before March 16, 2026：: Head of Alibaba’s Qwen large language model project, Lin Junyang, resigned along with three other members of his team.

March 16, 2026：: Alibaba announced the formation of the Alibaba Token Hub (ATH) business group, integrating several AI units and restructuring its AI business.

March 16, 2026：: CEO Eddie Wu issued a public letter about the company's AGI strategy and ATH’s goals.

March 16, 2026：: Internal and public confirmation that Tongyi Lab would continue to be led by Alibaba Cloud CTO Zhou Jingren and a foundational model support group would be created.

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