Tencent Cloud mulls AI-related growth

As artificial intelligence approaches a tipping point for industrial growth, Tencent Cloud plans to make its AI-related business a key driver of growth in the coming years, a senior company executive said.

"In terms of user scale, technical costs, commercial returns and application scenarios, AI has reached a threshold stage for industrial-scale growth," said Li Qiang, vice-president of Tencent Group, who is also president of Tencent's enterprise business unit.

According to Li, the group views its AI strategy as an opportunity on par with the industrial revolution and is seizing it through full-stack offerings spanning energy supply, computing power, large models, intelligent agents and end-user products.

"In terms of intelligent computing power, Tencent is significantly increasing investment in AI infrastructure both at home and abroad, with capital expenditure totaling about 79.2 billion yuan ($11.54 billion)," Li said.

"The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is accompanied by continued increases in investment in AI-related research and development, which stood at 18 billion yuan last year and is expected to rise further this year," Li said.

Meanwhile, Tencent will comprehensively advance its AI business, including computing power, AI applications and agent development, as this will serve as a key growth engine for Tencent Cloud in the coming years, according to Li.

The popularity of smart technologies is surging. By December 2025, China had 602 million generative AI users, meaning five in every 10 internet users were using generative AI in their daily lives, according to the latest report from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).

In addition, daily token usage across the country has surged from 100 billion at the beginning of 2024 to 140 trillion in March this year, presenting an increase of more than 1,000-fold in a two-year period, according to data collected by the National Data Administration.

A PwC survey of global CEOs in February showed that the growing acceptance of AI among the general public is also accompanied by accelerating commercial returns. About 52 percent of CEOs in China said AI adoption had increased their companies' revenue, far exceeding the global average of around 30 percent.

This trend is reflected in Tencent's fiscal 2025 financial report, which showed that AI is comprehensively reshaping the group's growth structure. Revenue from its business-to-business, or B2B, business reached 229.43 billion yuan in 2025, up 22 percent quarter-on-quarter, with AI becoming a core engine of revenue growth in enterprise services.

It has been reported that a full-stack AI service system has been built by Tencent Cloud, covering five layers of energy supply, computing power scheduling, model capability, intelligent agent applications and product experience, which collectively form a complete end-to-end AI implementation framework.

Growth momentum is accelerating in overseas markets. Tencent Cloud's overseas customer base doubled year-on-year in 2025, while its international business recorded double-digit growth and expanded to more than 80 countries and regions worldwide.

Since establishing its Shanghai office in 2002, Tencent has served more than 110,000 clients across the Yangtze River Delta region over the past two decades, spanning industries including finance, manufacturing, retail, healthcare and education, and contributing nearly 100 billion yuan in output to the region last year alone.