Liang Wenfeng is quickly becoming an important name in the global artificial intelligence (AI) industry. So, let us know who is he and why everyone is talking about the founder of DeepSeek, which is a groundbreaking Chinese AI research lab. For the unversed, Wenfeng has challenged the domination led by key US tech companies such as OpenAI, which has reshaped the competitive landspace of the global AI race.
Education of Liang Wenfeng
Liang Wenfeng graduated from Zhejiang University, which is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in China. You will be surprised to know that Wenfeng graduated in finance and not came from an engineering or computer science background. This unique background later influenced his strategic plan to developing DeepSeek.
In 2015, Liang Wenfeng co-founded High-Flyer, which is a quantitative hedge fund. The firm’s unique funding model and his interest with using AI to predict market trends allowed Wenfeng to check for AI research without the pressures of external investors. This independence allowed him to prioritize long-term innovation and research.
Wenfeng’s interest in AI
Wenfeng’s interest in AI became stronger in 2021 when he started purchasing thousands of Nvidia chips for an AI gig project. This decision looked unusual at the time, particularly as there was no clear plan for their use. However, his foresight paid off when DeepSeek officially introduced in 2023. This was just before the US imposed restrictions on advanced AI chip exports to China.
How DeepSeek was founded
DeepSeek started as a small research project but soon became a key company in the AI field. Wenfeng’s vision was to create a homegrown AI lab that could compete not only with China’s largest tech companies like ByteDance and Alibaba but also with global giants in the US. He personally led the startup, and focused mainly on research and development.
DeepSeek released several powerful AI models within a short period such as:
DeepSeek Coder (November 2023), DeepSeek LLM (2024), DeepSeek-V2 (May 2024), DeepSeek-Coder-V2, and DeepSeek-R1 (January 2025).
The reason there is so much attention for the company DeepSeek is because of its focus on efficiency. The company’s AI models perform at par with competitors while using less computing power. Wenfeng’s plan revolves around using innovative plans such as reinforcement learning, which assists AI models to improve through trial and error. Wenfeng is also renowned for having a capable and innovative research team at DeepSeek.