Technology Racing: Layout in Focus Areas such as AI
R&D investment “is a key keyword in the financial reports of many platform companies, and has become one of the core engines for high-quality development of platform companies.
Tencent’s research and development investment reached 70.69 billion yuan in 2024, with a cumulative investment of 340.3 billion yuan since 2018; Meituan continues to adhere to the “retail+technology” strategy, with a research and development investment of 21.1 billion yuan by 2024; Pinduoduo will invest 12.7 billion yuan in research and development in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 16%
While R&D investment continues to increase, AI has become one of the focal points of platform enterprises’ layout. Several platform enterprise leaders have emphasized their business and financial layout in the AI field at their performance conferences.
A few months ago, we restructured our AI team to focus on rapid product innovation and deep model development, increased AI related capital expenditures, and increased our research and marketing efforts for native AI products, “said Tencent Chairman and CEO Pony Ma, believing that these investments will create longer-term value.
Over the past year, Alibaba has continued to invest in AI infrastructure construction, and Alibaba Cloud’s AI related product revenue has achieved double-digit year-on-year growth for six consecutive months. Alibaba Group CEO Wu Yongming stated in February this year that in the next three years, Alibaba will increase investment in AI infrastructure, basic model platforms and AI native applications, and AI transformation of existing businesses.
At the same time, areas such as supply chain intelligence and platform governance technology upgrades are also key directions for technology investment by multiple platform enterprises.
Industry insiders believe that currently, platform companies’ technology investment is shifting from “cost items” to “value creation items”. AI、 While technologies such as supply chain intelligence have become new growth points for platform enterprises, they will also benefit more small and medium-sized enterprises, providing them with stronger technological support, empowering industrial development, and achieving cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

Containers stored at Qinzhou Port Container Automation Terminal. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lv Shuai
Promoting Globalization: From Exporting Goods to Exporting Services
Currently, many platform companies are betting on developing overseas markets to increase their business volume. For example, e-commerce platforms attract overseas users through “one-stop global sales” and free shipping to some countries, increasing overseas traffic for platform merchants. At the same time, they are laying out cross-border e-commerce and exploring the potential of overseas markets, “said Li Mingtao.
Data shows that in the fourth quarter of 2024, Alibaba’s international e-commerce platforms such as Lazada and AliExpress contributed RMB 37.756 billion in revenue, a year-on-year increase of 32%.
At the same time, according to the financial reports, several platform companies are currently focusing on overseas markets, gradually expanding into the output of supply chain, technology, and service capabilities while developing commodity trade.
In 2024, JD Logistics will achieve sustained high-speed growth in overseas integrated supply chain revenue; Keeta, a food delivery brand under Meituan, has further expanded to all major cities in Saudi Arabia since its launch in Riyadh in October 2024, with rapidly increasing user numbers and order volumes
Experts say that the rapid development of the platform economy and the continuous extension of its structure and tentacles have demonstrated the resilience and vitality of enterprises. In the future, promoting the healthy development of the platform economy is expected to further activate consumer potential, empower the real economy, and develop new quality productivity, playing a greater role in promoting high-quality economic development, accelerating technological innovation, and integrating industrial innovation.



