# Alibaba says modular design delivers AI data centres in 100 days at 10% lower cost

> Source: <https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3363637/alibaba-says-modular-design-delivers-ai-data-centres-100-days-10-lower-cost?utm_source=rss_feed>
> Published: 2026-08-11 10:00:16+00:00

# Alibaba says modular design delivers AI data centres in 100 days at 10% lower cost

With CUBE 5.0, Alibaba Cloud expects to more than double modular data centre delivery efficiency this year amid AI boom, report says

[Ann Cao](/author/ann-cao)in Shanghai

[artificial intelligence infrastructure](https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3361988/chinas-localised-data-centre-push-drives-ai-ambitions-amid-overbuilding-concerns?module=inline&pgtype=article)surges, Alibaba Group Holding says it can deliver new data centres in a fraction of the usual time while cutting construction costs by 10 per cent through its proprietary modular architecture.

Using CUBE 5.0, Alibaba Cloud had slashed the delivery time for large-scale AI data centres to just 100 days, according to a report by state-backed newspaper China Securities Journal on Tuesday.

That compared with standard domestic delivery times of six to 12 months, and 12 to 18 months in the US, the report said.

[Alibaba Cloud](https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3354324/alibaba-signals-next-phase-ai-growth-investment-commercialisation?module=inline&pgtype=article), the AI and cloud computing services unit of Alibaba, also expected to more than double its production efficiency this year, measured by the volume of modular data centres delivered within a given time frame, it added.

Unveiled in 2024, CUBE 5.0 increased the overall modularity rate across five key systems – power supply, cooling, security, intelligent management and fire protection – from 30 per cent to 90 per cent in its latest iteration, according to the report.

Unlike traditional construction, where power, cooling and IT systems are installed sequentially on-site, prefabricated modular data centres split infrastructure into separate components that are manufactured simultaneously in factories. These components are then shipped in container-like units and assembled on-site like building blocks.