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Upstart Chinese AI company DeepSeek's founder started out as a low-key hedge fund entrepreneur

Jan 28, 2025 - financialpost.com
Liang Wenfeng, the 40-year-old founder of the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, has emerged as a significant player in the AI industry, challenging established leaders like OpenAI. Initially a hedge fund entrepreneur, Liang founded DeepSeek in 2023 after refining quantitative models for stock trading at his firm, High-Flyer Quantitative Investment Management. Despite regulatory challenges, High-Flyer manages $8 billion in assets and has invested heavily in AI research, leveraging a large cluster of Nvidia's high-performance graphics processors. Liang emphasizes the importance of originality in AI development, advocating for China to contribute its innovations rather than merely following Western advancements.

DeepSeek's approach is driven by curiosity and exploration of intelligence, with Liang actively involved in research and development. Despite his low public profile, Liang's vision for Chinese AI is to close the gap with the United States by fostering innovation rather than imitation. He believes that China's AI industry must evolve from being a follower to a leader, necessitating exploration and original contributions to the field. Liang's commitment to advancing AI aligns with his broader goal of positioning China as a significant contributor to global AI innovation.

Key takeaways:

  • Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, transitioned from a hedge fund entrepreneur to leading an AI startup competing with industry giants like OpenAI.
  • DeepSeek's AI research is funded by High-Flyer Quantitative Investment Management, which manages $8 billion in assets and has significant computing power.
  • Liang emphasizes the need for Chinese AI to innovate rather than imitate, aiming to close the gap with Western AI advancements.
  • DeepSeek's R1 AI model lacks publicly available information about Liang Wenfeng's personal background, highlighting his low-profile approach.
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