Inside Alibaba DAMO Academy’s AI Vision: New Labs, Chips, and Quantum Ambitions

At the 2018 Hangzhou Yunqi Conference, Alibaba CTO and DAMO Academy director Zhang Jianfeng announced major progress: the establishment of 4+X labs across eight global cities, the creation of the semiconductor company Pingtouge, the DAMO Academy Qingcheng Award granting 1 million RMB to each winner, and the launch of a global mathematics competition.

He explained that DAMO Academy focuses on two fundamental questions: where massive data originates and how it is processed, aiming to open the AI "black box".

The Academy now comprises over 300 researchers worldwide, organized into five primary directions that address data acquisition, data processing, algorithms, chip development, and foundational research such as mathematics.

Alibaba’s AI pillars are described as A (algorithms), B (big data), C (computing power), supplemented by D (domain knowledge) and E (ecosystem). With abundant data from Alibaba Cloud’s industrial and city brains, the focus shifts to advanced sensors and communication technologies to capture complex signals like traffic‑light states.

To enhance computing capability, DAMO Academy is developing two chip families: an NPU designed for AI workloads, slated for tape‑out next year with an expected 40× performance‑per‑watt gain, and the CK902 embedded chip featuring intelligent networking security.

The Academy is also advancing quantum computing, having built the world’s largest 81‑qubit, 40‑layer random quantum circuit simulator, establishing a dedicated quantum lab, and targeting a proprietary quantum chip within two to three years to complement classical computing for AI.

Pingtouge, named after the fearless honey badger, embodies Alibaba’s mission to empower small forces with great impact, reflecting the company’s entrepreneurial spirit.

The Qingcheng Award will support nine young scientists across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong with 1 million RMB each, while the global math competition seeks to inspire youth to appreciate the beauty of mathematics.