(Yicai Global) Jan. 5 -- Wang Gang, vice president of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding and head of its autonomous driving technology unit, recently left the firm, according to tech self-media Leinews.

Wang will start a new business related to cleaning robots, the report said today. Alibaba confirmed Wang’s resignation, thanking him for his contributions to the firm’s DAMO Academy research institution and its self-driving technologies. His colleague Chen Junbo will take over the businesses that Wang oversaw.

Wang is an expert in machine learning and language processing. He joined Hangzhou-based Alibaba in March 2017 as the chief scientist of the artificial intelligence laboratory and later became the head of DAMO Academy’s autonomous driving lab.

He was also the legal representative, executive director and general manager of Alibaba’s self-driving unit Xiaomanlu Intelligent Technology. Xiaomanlu recently changed its registration information, and Chen took over Wang’s positions in the firm, public information shows.

Chen is a senior algorithm expert at DAMO Academy’s self-driving lab and was head of the driverless logistics vehicle project of Alibaba unit Cainiao Network Technology.

Formed in 2020, Xiaomanlu unveiled its first logistics robot in the same year. It had put 350 units into use nationwide as of Oct. 29 last year to provide express delivery services for teachers and students in more than 200 colleges and universities in over 70 cities.

Editor: Tom Litting