Alibaba founder and Chinese richest man, Jack Ma, donated 100 million CNY (14.4 million USD) through his foundation to find a coronavirus vaccine.

The billionaire has earmarked 40 million CNY (5.8 million USD) for two state-owned scientific institutes in China, according to a publication on the social networks of the Jack Ma Foundation. The remaining funds will be used to support the “prevention and treatment” of the disease, the foundation added.

The donation follows an announcement Saturday by Alibaba that it is earmarking a 1 billion CNY (144 million USD) fund to buy medical supplies for Wuhan and Hubei province, which are at the epicenter of the virus epidemic.

The company also offers free artificial intelligence for scientific institutes to support vaccine demand or treatment.

Alibaba is one of a number of Chinese technology companies that donate for the coronavirus treatments.

Others include telecommunications equipment and smartphone maker Huawei, e-commerce company Tencent, search engine Baidu, owner of TikTok, ByteDance, and food delivery company Meituan-Dianping.

Scientists in the US and China are working to create a vaccine. But it may take more than a year to discover it, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States.

The virus has so far claimed the lives of at least 132 people, and nearly 6,000 cases of infection have been confirmed in mainland China. Over 80 cases have been confirmed in other countries, including the US and Australia.