Fueling Hangzhou’s Global AI Rise: Zhejiang University Leads the Way in Nurturing AI Trailblazers

The pioneers making Hangzhou's reputation as what The Wall Street Journal called "global AI competitor" hail from talent cultivation from top institutions like Zhejiang University (ZJU). The rise of entrepreneurs such as ZJU alumnus Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, vividly testifies to the university's AI education success. From early explorations decades ago to today's systematic innovation, ZJU has long nurtured batches of AI "pioneers."

ZJU's AI roots trace to 1978, when it established its Computer Science Department. Founding director He Zhijun prioritized "AI theory research and new computer design" in the department's blueprint, making ZJU the first in China to enroll AI master's students and sow the seeds of AI research.

Seizing the opportunity from the 2017 national new-generation AI development plan which mandated AI undergraduate programs, ZJU became one of China's first 35 universities to launch an AI undergraduate major in 2018. It followed with the nation's first interdisciplinary AI program in 2019, and in 2024, secured China's only national AI textbook base.

Now ZJU has built integrated teaching resources—textbooks, courses, faculty, and training platforms—and forged a complete talent pipeline spanning undergraduates to postgraduates for AI professionals and "AI+other majors", fostering an ecosystem where "everyone can learn AI anywhere, anytime." This year, it expanded AI enrollment to welcome more young explorers.

As a general-purpose technology akin to the internal combustion engine or electricity, AI inherently drives interdisciplinary collaboration—whether solving scientific/engineering challenges via AI (e.g., AI for Science: predicting 3D protein structures) or optimizing AI through science (e.g., Science for AI: refining neural networks via statistical physics). Future breakthroughs will largely emerge from such intersections. Today, AI is as accessible as water and electricity, thanks to natural language interfaces. Understanding, using, innovating AI, and upholding human-robot ethics have become core competencies for the intelligent age.

In September 2024, ZJU pioneered hierarchical, compulsory AI general education courses and a textbook series—General Education of Artificial Intelligence —the first of its kind in China, tailored for STEM/agriculture/medicine, social sciences, and humanities/art. No more "shying away" from one-size-fits-all content, medical students can find AI-assisted diagnosis insights while art students can explore AI-driven creation.

Interdisciplinary training is ZJU's forte. In 2021, it co-founded China's first inter-university "AI+X" micro-major with five other leading universities. Targeting non-computer students, it acts as a "pathfinder" for interdisciplinary talent development. Polished over years, this model upgraded to "AI+X 2.0" in 2025.

ZJU also partnered with China Academy of Art on the "intelligent art and design" micro-major, incorporating cutting-edge fields like "embodied intelligence" and "digital-intelligent organizations" to explore disciplinary paradigm shifts and unlock "X+AI" potential.

Nurturing talent requires elevating faculty and student quality. ZJU released a series of guidance, requiring students to use AI, innovate AI, and uphold ethical boundaries while urging teachers to uphold educational values, master AI knowledge, reform teaching models, and assume social responsibilities.

To deliver AI general courses, ZJU assembled an interdisciplinary teaching team from 40 colleges and trained teachers in intelligent education. It also launched 11 episodes of the DeepSeek online public course, drawing over 50 million views to spread AI knowledge beyond campus. The first national "Qizhen Wenzhi" AI model & agent competition will launch later this year, encouraging inter-university teams to practice in real scenarios.

Classroom AI innovation enlivens learning: In the class of Computer Architecture, AI teaching assistants act as digital doubles—explaining concepts, generating PPTs, answering questions 24/7, designing quizzes, and mapping knowledge. Medical AI class uses generative platforms for heuristic questioning, generative exploration, and focused discussion, with AI as an inspiration assistant for drug design. Even job-hunting gets support from "Xiaoye," an AI career mentor offering insights and resources.

ZJU is also strengthening its AI education ecosystem. The 2024-established Artificial Intelligence Education Research Center coordinates campus-wide reform. In March 2025, it launched an AI-empowered education project called "AI STEP" (Start-Train-Explore-Progress), which features "Science, Technology, Engineering & Enterprise, Philosophical & Social Science" interdisciplinary integration, and build a new model for fostering top AI innovators.

As Hangzhou's expo showcases the AI industry's vitality, it stands on ZJU's education-built talent reservoir. From alumni like Liang Wenfeng to campus AI explorers, ZJU's practice fuels the AI industry with steady talent supply, aligning education and industry to create more "DeepSeek moments" in the AI era.
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