Alibaba to Charge Enterprise Users of Next Qwen AI Model
Synopsis
The Chinese tech giant is reportedly planning a revenue-sharing model for large users of its upcoming open-source Queen 3.8-Max, marking a shift toward monetising open AI models.
Alibaba plans to introduce a revenue-sharing model for larger commercial users, with the company's next open-weight AI model, Queen 3.8-Max, anticipated to be the basis for its business pricing, sources with knowledge of the situation say.
The model will be open-weight so that any developer can access and deploy it, but businesses with lots of commercial revenue from using the model will have to sign licensing agreements with Alibaba.
The proposed structure will build upon Alibaba's existing cloud-based pricing model. The developers that are putting the Qwen models on their own infrastructure do not pay a licensing fee, and customers who are using the models via Alibaba Cloud do pay based on usage.
Qualifying commercial deployments outside of Alibaba Cloud would also be subject to licensing, though terms have not yet been announced.
Open-Weight AI Faces New Commercial Reality
Alibaba's rumored intentions come amid a wider trend in the AI sector, where creators are striving to strike a balance between openness and profitability. Moonshot AI, a Chinese AI firm, already has a similar model for its Kimi K3 model: It demands that companies that generate over US$20 million per year from commercial use of the model pay 30% of that money to Moonshot AI.
Unlike the biggest US AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, whose new foundation models are mostly offered via paid application programming interfaces, instead of downloadable model weights.
In contrast, Chinese developers such as Alibaba and DeepSeek have been steadily pushing for open-weight models, while developing commercial licensing for enterprise customers.
Cloud Business Drives AI Growth
Alibaba's investment in AI has been continuous, with demand from businesses on the rise. During the fiscal year ended on March 31, 2026, the company generated revenue of RMB 996.3 billion (US$137.3 billion).
Cloud related products accounted for approximately 30% of external cloud revenues, and the Cloud Intelligence Group's revenues grew by 40% year on year. The company also announced that annualised revenue from products based on AI exceeded RMB 35.8 billion, indicating its increasing penetration into the enterprise market with generative AI products.
The overall AI industry is seeing rapid growth, too. IDC's latest Worldwide Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI Spending Guide predicts that global AI and generative AI spending will reach more than US$360 billion in 2026.
The U.S. is still the largest market for AI, trailed by China, and Western Europe is third place, with enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, and AI-powered business applications making up a big portion of investments.
In addition to performance, infrastructure needs and long-term operating costs, for Australian and US businesses assessing AI platforms, the proposed Alibaba Qwen enterprise pricing model introduces a new business consideration.
Source: Reuters
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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