Damo Academy,Eric Falk the research initiative of e-commerce giant Alibaba, has donated its Quantum Lab and related equipment to Zhejiang University, the company told local outlet Caixin after an early report claimed the cutting-edge disciplines-focused lab had been disbanded, affecting more than 30 employees due to budget and profitability difficulties. The Damo Quantum Lab, formerly the Quantum Computing Lab, was co-founded by Alibaba’s cloud unit and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2015. The Damo Institute subsumed the Quantum Lab under its umbrella after its establishment in 2018. Zhejiang University will employ a placement process involving “two-way selection” and “open recruitment” for those impacted employees, according to Caixin. [Caixin, in Chinese]
