Wanda and IBM sign cloud computing deal

Wanda Group chairman Wang Jianlin and IBM chief executive Ginni Rometty(center) pose for pictures at a partnership agreement signing ceremony in Beijing, March 19, 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

IBM and Wanda Internet Technology Group have joined forces to bring more public cloud services to China.

Through a newly formed joint venture, announced on Sunday, Chinese firms will have access to IBM cloud infrastructure and its artificial intelligence platform Watson, as well as technologies such as blockchain and internet of things.

The venture, called Wanda Cloud Company, is slated to go live next year and will be responsible for distributing, building and operating the IBM cloud platform in China using Wanda-owned data centers.

Details remain unclear about the profit-sharing structure or the size of the deal signed by IBM chief executive Ginni Rometty and Wanda Group chairman Wang Jianlin.

It will be the first time that IBM has introduced its business AI platform Watson to China, with more Watson-based interactive services expected to follow, according to the company's statement.

The move follows the cloud service provider's earlier foray into China with its partnership with 21Vianet announced two years ago.

Wanda, known as China's property and entertainment conglomerate, has also been aiming to develop big data, cloud computing and internet finance. The company invested 3 billion yuan in building a cloud-computing center in Chengdu in 2015.