Update | Tencent to Baidu, Chinese internet giants big on Big Data
Chinese internet giant Tencent will concentrate on a handful of core areas related to Big Data in the coming three years while other Chinese companies are also setting their sights firmly on Big Data.
“We will transform ourselves, from doing everything on our own to operating only the core platforms, digital contents and financial businesses,” said founder and chief executive Pony Ma Huateng on Wednesday at Guiyang International Big Data Expo, a government-backed technology event. “We will leave other businesses to our partners.”
This is a strategic shift on part of the HK$1.5 trillion company, which currently operates a wide range of services, from messaging app WeChat to the popular online game League of Legends.
Ma said Tencent will focus on cloud services, mobile payment and location-based services in the future. He plans to integrate all the data from various services Tencent owns or invested in, including car hailing, online shopping and group-buying, in one place.
“We hope to build an ecosystem of Big Data,” Ma said.
Other Chinese internet giants are equally keen on Big Data.