Alibaba Group Holding, known for its success in e-commerce, is trying to build up its reputation as

Alibaba Group Holding, known for its success in e-commerce, is trying to build up its reputation as a technology powerhouse.

In the next two decades, the company plans to form independent research and development teams to build up core technologies that can support its founder's grand vision of serving 2b customers around the world.
The plan, dubbed the NASA project, is expected to cover core technologies such as machine learning, chips, the Internet of Things and biometric identification.
The decision was unveiled at a technology summit at the company's Hangzhou headquarters on March 9.

At the summit, founder Jack Ma reiterated his goal of turning Alibaba into the world's fifth-largest economy in the next 20 years, creating 100 million jobs and enabling 10 million businesses turn a profit.

Such an economy has to be backed by solid technological capabilities, so "we will build Alibaba's own NASA," Ma said.
NASA refers to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - a US organization Alibaba founder Jack Ma admires for what it has contributed to humans via technological breakthroughs.