Inside Alibaba Damo Academy’s 2018 Vision: AI, Chips, Quantum & Global Labs

In 2018 at the Hangzhou Cloud Expo, Alibaba CTO and Damo Academy director Zhang Jianfeng announced the institute’s progress and future plans, including the establishment of more than four labs across eight global cities, the creation of the semiconductor company Pingtouge, the Damo Academy Green Orange Award with a 1 million RMB prize, and the launch of a global mathematics competition.

Zhang explained that Damo Academy focuses on two fundamental questions: the source of massive data and how to process it, aiming to open the “black box” of artificial intelligence.

The institute now has over 300 researchers worldwide, organized into five main research directions covering technology, chips, and foundational studies such as mathematics.

He described AI’s five pillars—Algorithm (A), Big Data (B), Compute (C), Domain Knowledge (D), and Ecosystem (E)—and emphasized Alibaba’s strengths in data and computing, including industrial and city brains, and the need for new sensor and communication technologies to capture traffic‑light data.

Digital cities will generate ever‑increasing data, raising the challenge of efficient data processing and low‑cost high‑performance computing.

Damo Academy will concentrate on core algorithms, compute power, and big‑data processing.

Regarding chips, the institute is developing two types: an NPU to accelerate AI workloads, with a planned tape‑out next year promising a 40× performance‑per‑watt improvement, and an embedded CK902 series chip that integrates IoT security and is fully domestically designed.

In quantum computing, Damo Academy has built the world’s largest 81‑qubit, 40‑layer random quantum circuit simulator, is constructing its own quantum lab, and aims to produce a quantum chip within two to three years, integrating it with Alibaba’s cloud platform.

The newly founded semiconductor company Pingtouge, named after the resilient honey badger, reflects Alibaba’s mission to empower small forces with powerful technology.

Damo Academy’s two foundational pillars are youth talent and chip development, with mathematics as the essential base for AI. The Green Orange Award will support nine young scientists across Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong with 1 million RMB each, and the global math competition has been officially launched.

Zhang concluded by urging greater attention to young researchers and fundamental disciplines such as mathematics, which are crucial for the future of innovative technology.