Research reveals the academic and professional connections that shaped Deepseek and Qwen’s AI engineers and their relationship with Microsoft
The recent rise of Alibaba’s Deepseek and Qwen Artificial Intelligence platform has been a hot topic among technology and investor experts in China and the United States. However, specific information about Chinese engineering teams remains scarce.
An Asia Times analysis using public information about the developers’ backgrounds of both chatbots can help to trace a clearer panorama of how DeepSeek and Qwen have emerged.
Based on publicly available media research articles and reports, DeepSek and QWEN’s engineering teams do not collaborate or overlap.
The only link between the two is that DeepSek researchers stated in an article published on January 22 this year that they “distilled” Qwen2.5, besides the Llama, of the goal, to develop DeepSek-R1. The launch of Deepseek-R1 caused a drop in the US stock market in late January.
Some analysts believe that DeepSeek, an open source AI, may also have used “knowledge distillation” to extract data from OpenAi’s chatgpt, and train its AI models. However, no conclusive evidence has been made public so far.
According to the January 22 article, Deepseek-R1 has 16 main contributors, some of which have direct connections with Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) and China Computer Federation (CCF).
Main contributor Yu Wu was supervised by Ming Zhou from MSRA during his doctorate at the University of Beihang between 2014 and 2019. He was a full -time trainee at MSRA 2013 to 2019 before joining a associate researcher in 2019.
Another lead contributor, Daya Guo, was also supervised by Ming Zhou during his doctorate at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, from 2018 to 2023. He was guided by Nan Duan between 2020 and 2023 and Duyu Tang between 2017 and 2020 at MSRA NATURAL LANGUAGE COMPUTER GROUP.
Main contributors Zhibin Gou and Zhihong Shao, both from the University of Tsinghua, cooked articles with Nan Duan from MSRA.
Zhenda Xie, another Deepseek collaborator, was guided by MSRA’s distinct scientist, Baining Guo at the University of Tsinghua between 2018 and 2023. He also worked as a research trainee at the same time.
Ming Zhou and Nan Duan still work at MSRA. In 2016 and 2018, they jointly led the CCF Terminology Approval Committee. Zhou is currently vice president of the CCF.
The connection between the DeepSek team and the MSRA researchers, of course, does not mean that MSRA has any participation in the Hangzhou -based company. However, if the US intensifies the pressure on the Chinese technological sector, the MSRA can be forced to interrupt its work and internship programs in China.
In early 2023, the MSRA allegedly stopped recruiting trainees from seven Chinese universities and the University of Post and Telecommunications of Beijing due to concerns about their connections with the Popular Liberation Army (ELP).
The Northwest Polytechnic University (NPU) and the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), both sanctioned by the US, are among these institutions.
Gym Damo
Alibaba, based in Hangzhou and founded by Chinese tycoon Jack Ma, has developed her chatbot differently.
Alibaba, using the cash flow generated by its e -commerce businesses, founded the Damo Academy in 2017 to conduct AI research. Damo means discovery, adventure, moment and perspective.
The academy has established an advisory board consisting of 10 renowned educators and researchers, six from the US and four from Chinese universities.
Alibaba designated Jingren Zhou, Aliyun’s director of technology, to lead the Damo Academy. Zhou obtained his doctorate in Computer Science from Columbia University in the United States. He was Microsoft’s R&D partner for four years before joining Alibaba in July 2016.
Chang Zhou, a qwen data processing engineer, joined the Demo Academy in 2017. He graduated at Fudan University in 2012 and completed his doctorate at the University of Beijing in 2017.
Before entering Alibaba, he had already worked with the company’s software engineers in some projects and cooked two articles with them in 2017. Professor Jun Gao of the University of Beijing, who was apparently supervisor of Chang Zhou, was among the co -authors .
Gao received his doctorate from the University of Beijing in 2003 and published more than 30 research articles. It has projects funded by the 863 Program and the China National Foundation of Natural Sciences (NSFC).
In March 1986, 200 of the leading Chinese scientists proposed the 863 program to the then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. The government established the program in November of the same year.
In 2022, Chang Zhou coescribed a research article with a group of academics, including Bin Cui, from the University of Beijing, which also led some projects funded by the 863 program.
Cui is currently deputy director of the University of Beijing School of Computer Science and Deputy Director of the CCF Database Technical Committee.
Last July, Chang Zhou decided to take a team of about 10 engineers to join Bytedance. Alibaba supposedly filed a lawsuit against Zhou, claiming that he had no right to join a competitor.
Qwen vs DeepSeek
Alibaba’s research team seems to have a stronger advisory board than DeepSeek. It also has a longer history in data management research.
This may be why Alibaba has managed to build Qwen2.5, an original AI model, while DeepSeek has only gathered distilled versions of other AI models. This can also explain why Apple Inc. Recently associated with Alibaba to launch iPhones with AI.
Ti columnist Amanda Caswell wrote in a recent article that Qwen2.5 surpasses DeepSeek-R1 in all seven tests she performed. She states that Qwen2.5 offers more structured and readable answers, while the deepseek-r1 answers lack depth and originality.
From Beijing’s point of view, both Qwen and DeepSeek are equally important as they help China modernize their industry and protect themselves against US malfunction and sanctions.
Media reports indicate that Chinese President Xi Jinping will soon preside over a symposium to boost sentiment in the private sector. Alibaba co -founder Jack Ma, and DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng will be present.
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/02/17/deepseek-e-qwen-e-os-segredos-por-tras-de-suas-equipes/
