Z Waves｜从科大少年班到千亿富豪，40岁陈天石撑起中国芯片的“孤勇者”叙事，国产AI芯片不再是梦

Core Viewpoint - The article highlights the remarkable journey of Chen Tian Shi, the CEO of Cambricon Technologies, who transformed from a gaming-obsessed student to a leading figure in the AI chip industry, culminating in the company's recent stock surge and market recognition as a "chip king" in China's capital market. Group 1: Early Life and Education - Chen Tian Shi was born in June 1985 in Nanchang, Jiangxi, into an intellectual family, with parents who encouraged a broad education [1] - Despite his intelligence, he struggled academically during his early years, often distracted by video games, which led to a reputation as a "poor student" [2][4] - His turning point came during his undergraduate studies at the University of Science and Technology of China, where he shifted his focus to serious research in artificial intelligence [4] Group 2: Research and Development - After completing his PhD in 2010, Chen joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he and his brother proposed the concept of AI-specific chips, despite initial skepticism from the academic community [8] - Their perseverance led to significant breakthroughs, including the development of the world's first deep learning processor prototype, "Cambricon" [8] Group 3: Entrepreneurship and Growth - In 2016, Chen founded Cambricon Technologies, which quickly became a unicorn startup in the AI chip sector, launching several innovative products [9] - The company gained significant recognition after its collaboration with Huawei, integrating its chips into Huawei's flagship devices, leading to a rapid increase in valuation [9] Group 4: Challenges and Strategic Shifts - In 2019, Cambricon faced a major setback when Huawei shifted to self-developed architectures, threatening its primary revenue stream [10] - Chen made a strategic decision to diversify the company's offerings, focusing on cloud AI chips and building a comprehensive product line, which ultimately led to a successful IPO in 2020 [14] Group 5: Market Recognition and Future Outlook - Following its IPO, Cambricon experienced significant challenges, including being placed on the U.S. Entity List, which restricted access to critical resources [15] - Despite these challenges, the company has shown resilience, with revenues increasing significantly and achieving profitability for the first time in 2025 [15] - Chen's vision remains focused on establishing Cambricon as a foundational player in the AI chip industry, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and long-term commitment [18][20]