Baidu to donate quantum computing lab, equipment to Beijing institute

China's Baidu plans to donate a quantum computing laboratory and equipment to the government-backed Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences (BAQIS), a company spokesperson said on Wednesday. Baidu's move followed that of its peer Alibaba, which in November had said it would wind down its quantum computing laboratory and team within its research arm amid a broader company restructuring, donating both the lab and related experimental equipment to Zhejiang University. Baidu established its quantum computing research centre in 2018, led by Duan Runyao who received his bachelor's and doctorate degrees from Tsinghua University.