Reference News Network, September 16 report - According to the website of the U.S. "Wall Street Journal" on September 12, China is accelerating the development of world-leading artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Hangzhou is leading this process.

More than 20 years ago, Alibaba was founded in a small apartment in Hangzhou, marking the transformation of Hangzhou from a scenic city to a technological hub.

The report states that now, Hangzhou has become an AI center, playing a central role in China's global tech strategy. This year, Hangzhou had a moment of glory when the local company DeepSeek launched an AI model comparable to U.S. projects at a much lower cost, surprising the world.

"Hangzhou is boiling," said Zhao Ji (音), a 41-year-old entrepreneur, who is starting an AI startup in his apartment in Hangzhou.

The rise of DeepSeek is not accidental. Hangzhou, the capital of the eastern province of Zhejiang, is a thriving city with about 13 million people, which has long been committed to cultivating entrepreneurial spirit. Government support policies, research universities, large tech companies like Alibaba, and a relatively lower cost of living compared to Beijing and Shanghai have made Hangzhou a holy land for tech talent.

Zhao Ji moved to Hangzhou from Beijing in 2018 and served as marketing director at Alibaba for about three years. Now, many former Alibaba employees like him hope to make their mark in the AI field.

Recently, in Zhao Ji's duplex apartment in a closed community near Alibaba's headquarters, he and two employees sat around a table. They are developing an AI agent that helps companies generate video and audio content and can clone users' voices and appearances.

Last October, Zhao Ji was invited to speak on AI at an exhibition hosted by the Hangzhou municipal government. After the speech, local officials contacted him directly via WeChat and invited him to their jurisdiction. At that time, he did not yet have a product available.

Zhao Ji said that they truly value technology and innovation.

The report states that inspired by Silicon Valley, the Hangzhou municipal government built the West Lake Science and Technology Corridor, where startups manufacture AI models, robots, brain-computer interfaces, and AI-assisted software. Hangzhou is known for its "Six Little Dragons," an informal group of six leading AI-related tech companies in the city, including DeepSeek.

In addition to its own AI business (including chips and models), Alibaba itself is also an important funder of hot AI startups. The company has stated that it plans to invest more than $52 billion in AI and cloud infrastructure over the next three years.

Liangzhu, located in the suburbs of Hangzhou, is very famous in China's AI community. Events held there bring together tech founders and aspiring individuals. Many residents call themselves "villagers." In weekly offline programming gatherings called "Crazy Thursday" at a local cafe, independent programmers from all over the country work side by side.

In addition, there is the top-tier research university of Hangzhou, Zhejiang University, whose alumni include many entrepreneurs, including Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek.

In 2017, Zhejiang University, the Zhejiang provincial government, and Alibaba jointly established an AI laboratory. That same year, Zhejiang University scholar Zhu Qiuguo founded Yun Chushu Technology Co., Ltd., which is one of Hangzhou's "Six Little Dragons."

For now, many people are eager to ride the wave of AI.

Entrepreneur Liu Pei (音) heard about Hangzhou's AI circle and moved to Hangzhou in May to start an AI media startup.

"When you come to Hangzhou, the people you meet will make you feel very happy," she said, "they genuinely want to seize the opportunities in the AI field." (Translated by Xu Yanhong)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7550555200592708148/

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