Home province of DeepSeek, Moonshot founders seeks to retain, attract future AI talent

Guangdong province, located in China's southern manufacturing hub, is actively working to attract top AI talent by retaining and wooing computer science students from Tsinghua University. Despite being the birthplace of Moonshot AI founder Yang Zhilin and DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng, Guangdong has been unable to hold onto either of these AI pioneers.

Both graduates went on to establish their firms in Beijing and Hangzhou, respectively. Guangdong's struggle to retain AI talent is evident in the data: Beijing leads China with 19 of the top 50 AI companies, followed by Shanghai with 14, while Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the two largest cities in Guangdong, hold just 10 combined. However, experts point to the concentration of academic talent as the key to Guangdong's uphill battle.

Peng Peng, executive chairman of the Guangdong Society of Reform, notes that Guangdong lacks the strong scientific and educational heritage of Beijing and the Yangtze River Delta. The province has attempted to make its case by organizing a tour showcasing its top technology assets, including the National Supercomputer Centre in Guangzhou and a stop at the autonomous driving giant Pony AI.

Local entrepreneurs and experts argue that Guangdong offers unique advantages, such as fewer competing businesses and a world-class advanced manufacturing base that provides an unmatched testing ground for AI applications. Financial incentives, such as subsidies of up to 10 million yuan for select entrepreneurs, are also being used to lure AI talent.

With soaring living costs in traditional tech capitals, Guangdong's incentives and southern lifestyle appear to be swaying young engineers as they consider their post-graduation plans.