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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →In May 2015, Alibaba’s cloud business, then called Aliyun, was reported to be pursuing a joint venture with Dubai-based Meraas. The plan centered on regional system integration and digital services. Alibaba later identified the venture as YVOLV and said its Dubai data center began initial operations on November 21, 2016. Those announcements document a proposed partnership and a later operating milestone—not proof that every 2015 plan was delivered or that YVOLV still operates today.
What Aliyun and Meraas proposed in 2015
On May 13, 2015, Data Center Knowledge reported that Aliyun was pursuing a joint venture with Meraas, a Dubai-based company. The report presented the venture as a provider of system integration services for the region, rather than simply a cloud-storage product for individual consumers.
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The reported service scope included application development, service-oriented architecture, testing and validation, citizenship e-services, and big-data operations. The report also described work focused on analytics, revenue generation and payment solutions. These were elements of the plan as reported at the time; they are not evidence that each service was subsequently launched.
The proposed development and data center
The 2015 account also described a Meraas-planned, technology-oriented community that would include a Tier 3 data-center facility. The broader development was expected to combine technology uses with hospitality, residential, commercial, retail and restaurant facilities. The article described a proposal, not confirmation that the community or all its components were built.
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What was documented later
On November 21, 2016, Alibaba Group announced that its Dubai data center in the United Arab Emirates had commenced initial operations. The company said the opening was held in conjunction with YVOLV, a joint venture of Alibaba Cloud and Meraas Holdings. Alibaba described YVOLV’s purpose as supporting Dubai’s Smart City vision by using Alibaba Cloud technology to create applications and big-data tools for regional customers. Alibaba Group’s announcement is a later official milestone; it does not verify that the full 2015 scope was delivered.
The distinction matters: the 2015 trade-press report described a venture being pursued and a wider development plan, while Alibaba’s 2016 announcement identified YVOLV and reported initial operations at a Dubai data center. The available announcements do not establish YVOLV’s current operating status or ownership, nor whether the proposed community was completed as described.
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Why the partnership mattered to the companies
The reported model combined regional integration and application work with Alibaba Cloud technology and local infrastructure. In its 2016 announcement, Alibaba said the Dubai data center and YVOLV were intended to support regional customers and Dubai’s Smart City vision. Alibaba Cloud President Simon Hu said: “We want to establish cloud computing as the digital foundation for the new global economy using the opportunities of cloud computing to empower businesses of all sizes across all markets.”
The 2015 report situated the proposal in a fast-growing regional market, but its figures are historical forecasts, not current market measurements. It attributed to Gartner a forecast of 17.1% growth in MENA public cloud services to $851 million in 2015, and 25% growth in MENA software-as-a-service to $205.7 million that year. It attributed to IDC a forecast of nearly 20% average annual growth from 2013 through 2018 in UAE managed and data-center services, reaching $971.8 million by 2018. These are figures as quoted by the 2015 report, not independently verified current data.
How this fits Alibaba Cloud’s later expansion
Alibaba Group’s September 25, 2026 Apsara Conference release reported a network of 31 regions and 107 availability zones. Those company-reported figures describe Alibaba Cloud’s wider footprint at the time of that release; the announcement does not establish whether YVOLV remains active. Alibaba Group’s 2026 announcement should therefore be read as broader expansion context, not an update on the Meraas venture.
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