Alibaba Cloud launched the next iteration of its cloud computing platform during its virtual Apsara Conference today.

Alibaba Group Chief Technology Officer Jeff Zhang introduced Alibaba Cloud 2.0, saying the new cloud operating system is aimed at making cloud technology available to everyone, “just like water and electricity is,” according to a report in ZDNet.

Zhang said Alibaba Cloud 2.0 will make cloud operations more intuitive and user-friendly, and enable more organizations to move their workloads to its cloud platform without needing to understand how to use code.

Alibaba Cloud 2.0 is an all-in-one platform augmented with an Aspara system and a digital native operating system, Zhang said during his keynote speech.

“I believe that Alibaba Cloud 2.0 will change the way we run our workloads on the Cloud and the way we implement applications,” Zhang said. “It marks the beginning of a ‘digital era’ that will give birth to a smarter society, with smarter organizations and enterprises.”

He said the platform offers a digital native operating system that will be “intelligent, future-proof, mobile and driven by big data.” In addition, it also features a mobile and intelligent cloud platform for application development through its DingTalk integration.

Alibaba Cloud also announced what Zhang called the “first cloud computer,” a smartphone-sized device known as “Wuying.”

Zhang said Wuying can be connected to a screen and offers exactly the same functions as a regular personal computer. The only difference is that all workloads and computation are done in the cloud, rather than on the device. As such, Wuying offers an “infinite amount of computing power,” Zhang said.

“Wuying transcends the capabilities of PCs, you can use Wuying to perform complex computing tasks, run workloads that have special requirements, or even render a high-definition video that may require the use of multiple PCs,” he said.

Alibaba Cloud said Wuying is suitable for both personal use at home and also in work environments with governments and enterprises. Because it only needs to be plugged into a screen to function, it can also do away with the need for regular hardware upgrades. Alibaba also claimed it offers better security than regular PCs, since it does not have any interface for external devices.

By lowering the cost of cloud computing for users, while increasing connectivity, cloud providers can increase utilization, so this is a promising strategy for Alibaba Cloud, Constellation Research Inc. analyst Holger Mueller told SiliconANGLE.

“This is at the core of Google Chromebooks, so it’s no surprise that other cloud players are introducing a new platform to lower the cost of computing for the largest user base out there, the consumer,” he added.

Image: Alibaba