Link copied 
Chinese retail giant JD.com has announced the launch of a joint research lab focused on blockchain technologies.
The lab has been launched 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 will focus on exploring wider applications for blockchain and solving efficiency and stability challenges.
“This will include multi-year collaborative research efforts into fundamental consensus protocols, privacy protection and security in decentralized applications, among other areas,” the release said.
The announcement follows the launch of the JD Blockchain Open Platform in August. The platform will help enterprise customers to easily build, host, and use their own blockchain applications for more secure, transparent and convenient operations management.
The new 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. Both Dr. Tang and Dr. Zhang are leading experts in blockchain and cryptography.
“With more than 300 million customers, JD.com recognizes the pivotal role being played by blockchain in improving transparency in the supply chain and delivering greater peace of mind to Chinese consumers about product quality and safety,” Dr. Pei said.
Zhong Hua, deputy director of the Software Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that partnership will work towards blockchain innovation and promoting industrial applications of blockchain technology.
JD has partnered with Walmart, IBM, and Tsinghua University to launch the Blockchain Food Safety Alliance which focuses on enhancing food traceability, and safety in China. More recently, JD Finance, the finance affiliate of JD.com, established the Smart City Research Institute at its headquarters in Nanjing.
