The faces behind China's AI rise: Meet the founders of DeepSeek, Z.ai and Moonshot AI
China is rapidly advancing in the global AI race, with startups like DeepSeek, Zhipu AI, and Moonshot AI releasing models that compete with U.S. alternatives. The article profiles the founders behind these companies and their role in China's technological development.
Why it matters
The rise of Chinese AI firms signals a shift in the global tech landscape, challenging the dominance of Silicon Valley.
As China emerges as a key competitor in the global AI race, CNA takes a look at the people leading its top companies.
From left: Moonshot AI founder Yang Zhilin, DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng and Zhipu AI co-founder Tang Jie. (File photos: Reuters, Xiaohongshu/Doudou/Xianshuxuezhanglaoshi)
Rachel Lim 27 Jul 2026 06:00AM (Updated: 27 Jul 2026 11:09AM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a new cards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SINGAPORE: China has caused much buzz in the tech sector recently after one of its artificial intelligence startups launched the world's largest open-weight AI systems in July.
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