(Yicai) Aug. 12 -- Artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek and other Chinese tech firms, which are well-known for their asset‑light business models, have begun expanding their business boundaries and hiring talent to develop their own computing infrastructure.

DeepSeek seeks professionals for internet data center construction across multiple disciplines, including electrical engineering, heating‑ventilation‑air‑conditioning, automation, energy, communications, computer science, and environmental and civil engineering, according to a job posting it recently released on its website. Work locations include Hangzhou, Beijing, and Ulanqab in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a region boasting abundant renewable resources.

"Every generation encounters its own infrastructure revolution," DeepSeek said in the notice. The move signals that the Hangzhou-based company, which focuses on AI model research and development, is extending its asset footprint into traditional infrastructure sectors.

Rising demand for AI computing power has driven a gradient layout for data center construction, an industry expert told Yicai. Model training and other computing workloads with low real‑time requirements are mostly deployed in remote regions with land and electricity cost advantages, while inference workloads with higher real‑time performance demands need to be closer to economically developed areas, the person said.

TikTok-owner ByteDance has also taken similar steps this year, setting up new subsidiaries in Zhongwei in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Ulanqab. The units' business scope is closely tied to the expansion of computing infrastructure in their regions.

In the AI era, Chinese tech companies will compete not only for graphics processing units but also for land, power, and network resources that meet their operational needs.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev