Alibaba’s Zhangbei data center in the Hebei province, pictured in 2016. Credit: Imaginechina via AP Images
Major internet companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Alibaba have become global leaders in the multi-billion dollar cloud computing industry that, until recently, existed as barely more than a thought experiment. Now, it’s a $33 billion industry — every quarter.
Chinese regulations require foreign firms operating in China's cloud market to partner with a Chinese company, so Amazon and Microsoft — global leaders in cloud computing — have set up joint ventures with two Chinese firms: Beijing Sinnet and 21Vianet.
Cloud services are also a tricky area for cybersecurity. Concerns over snooping and stealing drive the global conversation as the industry has exploded over the last decade and a half. In early December, the Trump administration was reportedly considering blocking foreign cloud companies from operating in the United States.
This week, The Wire looks at the biggest players in the global and Chinese markets to see who’s providing the cloud infrastr
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Zhongguancun, a neighborhood in Beijing, has long been called 'China's Silicon Valley.' But after achieving remarkable success, Zhongguancun is now undergoing something of a makeover as China attempts to control what type of innovation happens there. Can Beijing reinvent Zhongguancun while still replicating its past success?
