Key concepts
For foundational concepts, see What is artificial intelligence (AI)?
Platform overview
Platform for AI (PAI) is an end-to-end AI development platform from Alibaba Cloud. It covers data labeling, model development, model training, and model deployment. PAI provides these core modules:
Module | Description | Use case | Quick start |
Wraps EAS and DLC to let you train and deploy open-source large models without writing code. | Zero-code training and deployment of open-source models | ||
Deploys trained models as online inference services with minimal configuration. | Deploy models as service endpoints | ||
Provides a cloud-based interactive development environment. Notebook and VS Code users can start developing models immediately. | AI model development | ||
Creates distributed or single-node training jobs without manual machine provisioning or environment setup. The workflow matches local training scripts. | Distributed model training | ||
Labels images, text, video, and other data types. Also offers fully managed labeling outsourcing services. | Data labeling | - | |
Includes 140+ built-in algorithm components. Build models visually by dragging and dropping components. | Big data + AI model development |
Click a module name to learn more about its features.
Product strengths
Full AI development lifecycle
| Multiple open-source frameworks
| Industry-leading AI optimization
| Flexible deployment options
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Billing
Billing method | Description | Use case | Applicable modules |
Pay-as-you-go | Pay after use based on actual consumption. | Short-term or unpredictable workloads such as test environments, demand spikes, or early-stage projects. | DSW, DLC, EAS, Designer |
Subscription | Prepaid monthly or yearly plans. | Long-term, steady workloads. Prepaying for a fixed period (such as one month or one year) gives you a lower unit price than pay-as-you-go. | DSW, DLC, EAS |
Resource plan | Prepaid quota package for a specific resource. | Heavy use of a specific resource type. Quota packages offer volume discounts. | DSW |
Savings plan | Prepaid discount commitment plan. | Commit to a fixed spending amount over a period to receive a lower pay-as-you-go rate. | DSW, EAS |
Duration-based billing (Serverless) | Pay only for the time a service actively processes requests. Deployment is free. The service scales automatically based on request volume. | Variable request volume (Serverless deployment). Handles high concurrency and dynamic loads efficiently. | EAS |
For detailed billing information, see Billing.
New user guide
If you're new to PAI, see Get started with PAI.
Use cases
Large model deployment and fine-tuning | AI-generated content (AIGC) | Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) | AI agents |
FAQ
Q: How do I claim, use, and release a free trial?
For details, see Claim, use, and release free trial resources.
Q: What do I do if a DSW instance fails to start or stop, and how do I release an instance?
For details, see DSW FAQ - Instance start and release.
Q: Why does an EAS service call fail?
For details, see EAS FAQ - Service invocation.