B2B Search Engine Accio surpasses 2 million users within 9 months of launch
NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Alibaba International today announced the next iteration in the evolution of its B2B search engine Accio, with the addition of the world's first AI Agent for global trade. 'Accio Agent' has been released following Accio's milestone of surpassing two million users. This leap marks Accio's evolution from an AI-powered sourcing tool into a fully agentic AI platform.
According to Alibaba International's latest survey of product-focused entrepreneurs, 40% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) from around the world are now run by solo entrepreneurs who face tight constraints on time, resources and manpower. Accio Agent tackles this challenge by compressing tasks which typically require days of cross-team collaboration into workflows completed in minutes.
Redefining Global Trade Workflow
Accio Agent revolutionizes international commerce by automating 70% of traditionally manual workflows, compressing fragmented processes including product ideation, prototyping, compliance checks and supplier sourcing into a seamless, AI-powered cycle.
Here's how it works: Users start by inputting a product concept. The system instantly generates a tailored development plan, complete with market insights, regulatory guidelines and design specifications. With a single approval from the user, Accio Agent takes over conducting real-time supplier vetting, bulk RFQs and comparative analyses, and delivers a finalized, production-ready roadmap. One final click sends inquiries directly to pre-vetted global sellers listed on Alibaba's b2b e-marketplace Alibaba.com, enabling b2b buyers to quickly decide on the right choice of supplier for them.
By slashing weeks of research and sourcing coordination into minutes, Accio Agent empowers SMEs and solo entrepreneurs to outpace traditional teams, turning fragmented workflows into a unified sprint from concept to global supply chain.
When AI Meets Industry Depth
Trained on 1 billion product listings and 50 million supplier profiles, Accio Agent revolutionizes global trade with AI that merges deep industry insights and strategic reasoning.
Unlike general AI agents, Accio Agent leverages advanced language models to evaluate customer feedback and supplier performance, uncovering hidden strengths like specialized customization capabilities. It also emulates expert procurement logic, assessing technical needs, risks and business objectives to balance critical trade-offs such as quality versus cost or innovation versus compliance.
Kuo Zhang, Vice President of Alibaba International, shared: "Accio Agent is a highly practical tool which solves a multitude of problems for businesses sourcing globally. It's an AI agent designed to help you do business. It can handle multiple tasks simultaneously, operating like a team of dedicated professionals - sourcing agents, product developers, engineers, and market researchers - all working together to grow your business."
AI in the e-commerce market is valued at USD 7.68 billion in 2025 and is expected reach USD 37.69 billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.5% from 2025 to 2032, according to Coherent research. Global trade hit a record $33 trillion in 2024, according to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Accio's evolution into Agent AI underscores Alibaba International's commitment to redefining global trade through innovation. By automating complex workflows and delivering actionable insights, Accio enables businesses to navigate international b2b sourcing with newfound confidence and agility.
Accio Agent is now available at Accio.com by switching to "Agent Mode".
About Alibaba International
Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (Alibaba International) is dedicated to supporting the development of global digital trade with AI-powered technology. It operates various platforms with distinctive business models, covering multiple countries and regions around the world.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Alibaba International Releases the World's First AI Agent for Global Trade
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official opening of Desert X AlUla 2026, the landmark fourth edition of the international, open-air biennial exhibition. Arts AlUla, in collaboration with Desert X, welcomes visitors to experience a stellar line-up of Saudi and international multi-generational artists whose site-responsive earthworks, sculptures, and installations will engage in a powerful dialogue with the awe-inspiring landscapes and layered heritage of AlUla.
As a premier destination rich in ancient history and breathtaking nature, AlUla, located in Northwest Saudi Arabia, solidifies its position on the global stage as a dynamic, emerging land art destination with Desert X AlUla, the region's first public art biennale, and a key highlight of the AlUla Arts Festival.
The 2026 edition of Desert X AlUla brings together 11 acclaimed artists whose diverse works reflect a wide spectrum of ideas, materials, and traditions. From monumental kinetic sculpture to sound-based explorations above and below ground, each commission is deeply rooted in relationships to AlUla's distinctive environment, further cementing Desert X AlUla's reputation as a globally significant platform for site-responsive land art.
Desert X AlUla runs until February 28, 2026, as a cornerstone of the annual AlUla Arts Festival. Curated by Wejdan Reda, Zoé Whitley, with artistic direction by Neville Wakefield, and Raneem Farsi, its fourth edition explores 'Space Without Measure.' Inspired by Kahlil Gibran, the theme fosters contemplation of imagination within AlUla's natural settings. The exhibition, set in the desert canyons of AlUla, serves as a pre-opening programme for Wadi AlFann, offering a pivotal glimpse into AlUla's plans to create a permanent land art 'Valley of the Arts.'
Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: "At Desert X AlUla 2026, audiences will engage with art that deeply converses with AlUla's unique landscapes and rich heritage. These compelling commissions highlight AlUla's dynamic transformation into a major global destination, where ancient and contemporary expressions converge. This exhibition is part of our broader revitalisation of AlUla as a culturally rich destination to live, work and visit and integral to positioning AlUla in the global dialogue of contemporary art and as a precursor to monumental projects like Wadi AlFann."
Participating artist/artworks are:
- Sara Abdu, A Kingdom Where No One Dies: Contours of Resonance
- Mohammad Alfaraj, What was the Question Again?
- Mohammed AlSaleem, The Thorn, AlShuruf Unit, The Triangles, Flower Bud, and Al Ahilla (courtesy of Royal Commission for Riyadh City)
- Tarek Atoui, The Water Song
- Bahraini-Danish, Bloom
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Imole Red
- Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid
- Ibrahim El-Salahi, Haraza Tree
- Basmah Felemban, Murmur of Pebbles
- Vibha Galhotra, Future Fables
- Héctor Zamora, Tar HyPar
For further information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com
Multimedia gallery:
High-resolution photos of all 11 artists and their artworks can be found here.
About AlUla and Arts AlUla
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes was developed from at least the 12th century and has been revitalised as the vibrant hub for visitors and residents.
The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance and shaping a future inspired by artists built be artists. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts,' will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Desert X AlUla 2026: monumental land art exhibition opens in the ancient oasis of AlUla
