Liang Wenfeng (R), founder of Hangzhou-based AI company DeepSeek, speaks at Premier Li Qiang's roundtable to share his insights into the AI industry. [Photo/CCTV]

Liang Wenfeng, founder of Hangzhou-based AI company DeepSeek, a rising star in the artificial intelligence, or AI sector, shared his ideas recently.

This was at a roundtable hosted by Premier Li Qiang on Jan 20 with experts and entrepreneurs to gather input on the draft Government Work Report.

Liang, a Zhejiang University alumnus, has an impressive track record: Founding quantitative finance giant Hangzhou High-Flyer AI Fundamental Research Co and later pivoting to AI with DeepSeek.

Under his leadership, DeepSeek has developed innovative AI models that are said to not only rival OpenAI's GPT-4 in performance, but also slash training costs significantly through breakthroughs in model architecture and efficiency.

DeepSeek has gained recognition for its competitive edge in the global AI race, even sparking a price revolution in large language models.

Its open-source DeepSeek-V2 reduced inference costs by over 70 times compared to competitors, positioning the company as a game-changer in the field.

Despite his low profile, Liang's vision for AI extends beyond profit, aiming to push technological boundaries and foster global collaboration. His participation in the roundtable is viewed as reflecting the increasing importance of homegrown innovation in shaping China's AI future.