Tencent Cloud recently announced a price hike strategy for its intelligent agent development platform, amidst a broader trend affecting the cloud computing sector. This comes as OpenClaw, a new framework for deploying AI applications, is reshaping the supply and demand dynamics within the industry. Analysts have indicated that vendors are gaining control over the distribution rights of next-generation AI applications, with expectations of continued price increases primarily affecting AI cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS), particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence data centers (AIDC), computing power leasing, and content delivery networks (CDN).
The STAR Market Daily reported on March 18 that the stock prices of cloud service companies experienced a notable rise in both the A-share and Hong Kong Stock Markets. By the end of the trading day, shares of Alibaba-W had climbed 2.3%, while Kingsoft Cloud surged by 18.17%. In the A-share market, leading cloud computing stocks such as Tongyou Technology and Shiji Hengtong hit their maximum price limits, while several others, including YunSai Zhili, Meili Cloud, and Jicheng Electronics, also showed strong performance.
On the same day, both Alibaba Cloud and Baidu Intelligent Cloud announced price increases primarily targeting core AI-related services. Alibaba Cloud’s official announcement cited a significant rise in global AI demand and supply chain costs as the main reasons for a price hike of up to 34%. Specific products, including the Pingtouge Zhenwu 810E computing power card, will see increases ranging from 5% to 34%. Notably, the surge in Token usage within Alibaba Cloud’s MaaS business is also driving this price adjustment.
Baidu Intelligent Cloud followed suit, indicating its own adjustments to AI computing power and storage products due to the escalating demand for computing resources and rising costs in core hardware. Their price changes, effective from April 18, 2026, will see increases of approximately 5% to 30% for AI computing power-related services and about 30% for parallel file storage.
On March 11, Tencent Cloud also revised its billing strategy, transitioning its public beta models to a usage-based billing system, with a significant increase of over 400% in the prices of the HunYuan series models. This shift highlights the growing competitive landscape in AI cloud services.
According to a report from Frost & Sullivan, the market for China’s comprehensive AI cloud services reached a value of 25.9 billion yuan in the first half of 2025. Alibaba Cloud held a commanding 30.2% market share, while Baidu Intelligent Cloud captured 22.5%, together accounting for more than half of the sector. Recent data from Omdia indicated that by the end of the third quarter of 2025, Alibaba Cloud retained the top position with a market share of 36%, followed by Huawei Cloud at 16% and Tencent Cloud at 9%.
The institutional analysis points to an overarching growth trend, with the cloud infrastructure services market in mainland China hitting $13.4 billion in the third quarter of 2025, marking a 24% year-on-year increase. This sustained demand for AI is rapidly accelerating the adoption of cloud services and driving significant growth in core cloud infrastructure. As a result, cloud providers are increasingly focusing on enhancing their AI capabilities and optimizing their product offerings.
The robust global demand for AI computing power is transforming the cloud service industry’s operational logic. OpenClaw has disrupted traditional boundaries, converting low-end servers into “cloud workstations” tailored for intelligent agents. In response, major domestic internet companies have swiftly adapted, with Alibaba Cloud introducing a dedicated pre-configured image for OpenClaw and Tencent launching a one-click deployment template.
Guolian Minsheng Securities notes that OpenClaw is fundamentally altering the supply and demand framework of cloud computing. Cloud vendors are shifting their operational focus from basic computing power leasing to becoming providers of workstations for digital agents. This strategic pivot allows them to capture application entry points more effectively and gradually seize the distribution rights for next-generation AI applications.
Looking ahead, market analysts suggest that the rapid expansion of AI applications and the OpenClaw framework could lead to explosive growth in inference demand. Coupled with NVIDIA’s constrained production capacity and rising hardware costs, this may foster a seller’s market. Investment opportunities are expected to emerge in key sectors such as AIDC, computing power leasing, and CDN, with a focus on companies like Wangsu Technology, GDS Holdings, and others within the AI cloud ecosystem.
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