JD.com announces blockchain lab

Chinese e-commerce powerhouse JD.com has launched a blockchain research lab with the Ying Wu College of Computing at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and the Institute of Software at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISCAS).

It says that this will “focus on solving efficiency and stability challenges that are the most significant bottlenecks restricting the wider application of blockchain, and explore new applications of the technology. This will include multi-year collaborative research efforts into fundamental consensus protocols, privacy protection and security in decentralised applications, among other areas.”

The lab will be led by Dr. Jian Pei, President of JD Big Data and Smart Supply Chain, Dr. Qiang Tang, Assistant Professor in the Ying Wu College of Computing at NJIT, and Dr. Zhenfeng Zhang, Vice Chief Engineer at ISCAS.

“JD.com is a pioneer in the utilisation of blockchain technology, and we are dedicated to exploring its potential by investing in the growth of the blockchain ecosystem through key strategic and research partnerships,” says Dr. Pei. “Our partnership with NJIT and ISCAS will leverage our respective strengths and resources to drive the continued development of this cutting-edge technology and its wider deployment across many industries.”

In August, JD launched the JD Blockchain Open Platform. In addition, it has partnered with Walmart, IBM, and Tsinghua University to introduce the Blockchain Food Safety Alliance.