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Zhou Xi, Chairman and General Manager of CloudWalk Technology, Doctoral Supervisor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Doctoral Supervisor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

For him, the identity transformation from scientist to entrepreneur does not mean disconnection or discomfort. On the path of entrepreneurship, he is a bold researcher and a meticulous decision-maker.

Zhou Xi, from a genius teenager to the founder of a leading company, has never stopped on the innovative path of AI engineering. Today, he is still the same as when he led the team to establish CloudWalk Technology eight years ago.

"Can we truly put the technology to use?"This is his starting point. The vision of being human-centered, enabling AI technology to understand, help, and enhance people, is the eternal guiding light that has led him and CloudWalk Technology to never stop.

Elon Musk once compared entrepreneurship to "chewing glass and staring into the abyss." Having also experienced the pain of cross-border entrepreneurship, Zhou Xi deeply resonates with this description. The identities of scientist and entrepreneur seem to be two ends of a scale, making it difficult to achieve balance.

In 2015, Zhou Xi left the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2021, CloudWalk Technology was listed in Shanghai. Scientist and entrepreneur—these two distinct identities have formed a wonderful fusion in Zhou Xi. He is both a scientist who can deeply immerse himself in technology and an entrepreneur who is strategic and skilled in management.

"A person engaged in research"is Zhou Xi's self-positioning, and also the starting point of CloudWalk Technology's pragmatic genes and innovative spirit.

Zhou Xi:

A Pragmatic Researcher, a Low-Profile Entrepreneur

From 2011 to 2015, Zhou Xi conducted research on AI technology theory and industrial applications at the Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

At that time, he realized a problem—AI technology was still very far from truly large-scale industrialization.

"We have done so much, can we truly put the technology to use?"This is both Zhou Xi's long-standing question and the Achilles' heel restricting the rapid development of this industry.

With this question, he led his team to return to China and establish CloudWalk Technology, dedicated to world-leading AI technology.

Talking about entrepreneurship, Zhou Xi told a joke: "A young man suddenly jumped into a river and swam very fast. Everyone thought he was amazing. Later, he got up and cursed: 'Who pushed me in?'"

For Zhou Xi, leaving the Chinese Academy of Sciences to found CloudWalk Technology in Guangzhou was not a sudden push into the river, but a voluntary leap. His long-cherished wish was to see his years of research truly applied.

In his view, entrepreneurship is like climbing a peak, with a wall always blocking the view. CloudWalk has been around for eight years since its inception, yet every year a new wall stands in front, making it difficult to see the path ahead.

But on the long journey of entrepreneurship, "not turning back until hitting the wall" is not persistence but foolishness."When you encounter a wall, you still need to find a way around it."Zhou Xi said with a smile.

However, within the tower of academic research, it is difficult to fully see the undercurrents and whirlpools of the entrepreneurial river. Passion alone is not enough to fill the gaps in understanding a new field.

Only when one personally enters the industry and truly faces challenges does one realize that the biggest challenge in transitioning from scientist to entrepreneur is underestimating the difficulties ahead.

But in the eyes of Zhou Xi, a scientist by training, this is not a bad thing."Not knowing there were so many difficulties allowed me to bravely move forward."

Long immersed in academic research, he possesses traits not found in other tech founders, such as a tendency to examine challenges and criticisms logically, studying the underlying logic to identify areas for improvement.

At the same time,"I rarely give interviews."Unlike many entrepreneurs, Zhou Xi adopts an extremely low-key attitude, shutting out all external glory and fame.

Staying away from the hype surrounding the title of "CloudWalk Technology founder" and achieving great things with the team in a pure work environment is Zhou Xi's persistence.

As the founder of an AI company, he is well aware of the "double-edged sword" effect of AI technology in information dissemination—ubiquitous intelligent recommendations can exacerbate the serious consequences of "information cocoons."

When a founder's halo far overshadows the company's achievements, only information flows centered on him will exist, ultimately leading to strategic misjudgment.

Therefore, in Zhou Xi's view, not over-promoting oneself and not feeling too good about oneself is crucial for a company's success. As a founder, one should remain objective and clear-headed, trust the team's wisdom, rather than simply giving orders.

"We should not always talk about how many world championships we've won or records we've broken. The key is what problems our technology can solve for our clients."

CloudWalk Technology:

Human-Machine Collaboration, Riding the Waves

As an AI platform company listed on the STAR Market, CloudWalk Technology positions itself as a provider of human-machine collaborative operating systems and AI solutions.

When discussing CloudWalk's core logic, Zhou Xi emphasizes the term "human-machine collaboration." At the 2020 Enterprise Innovation Ecosystem Conference, Zhou Xi said:"We want to combine AI with humans."

He pointed out that the first development path for intelligent robots is toolization, while the other is the approach CloudWalk has chosen—rebuilding the logic of the brain to free up human physical strength, experience, and time.

After years of development, its business landscape now covers four major areas: Smart Finance, Smart Governance and Smart City, Smart Mobility, and Smart Commerce. According to Zhou Xi, the business that impressed him most was the development and breakthrough in the banking sector.

In-depth cooperation with the four major banks—ICBC, ABC, BOC, and CCB—proves that CloudWalk is not just a technology company; it can deeply serve an industry, accelerating its efficiency and operations. In the fields of Smart Governance and Smart City, CloudWalk Technology, through the efforts of its team, has achieved city-level applications.

Zhou Xi mentioned that the "Tianfu Brain" project in collaboration with Sichuan Tianfu New Area can elevate the area's smart level to the next stage, and it also won an international award for smart cities in Barcelona.

Walking into CloudWalk's technology corridor, the smart city "cockpit" also demonstrates CloudWalk's concept of human-machine collaboration and smart living, achieving"vehicle-road-city integration.".

Through the digitization of the physical world, AI can provide simulation-based plans based on decisions. For example, the smart flood prevention module uses sensors to simulate changes in water volume, flood timing, and inundation area, providing important prevention and control references for human decision-makers.

He summarized the development path of AI into three stages, namely the"Three Waves" theory..

The first wave occurred between 2014 and 2015, with single-point technologies like facial recognition being applied in specific scenarios. By 2020 to 2021, the AI industry began to enter an intermediate state between the first and second waves. Only when AI technology can decisively improve the efficiency of a scenario or industry, catalyze revolutionary changes, and be industrialized, will it truly enter the second wave era. For the third wave, he believes it will arrive in the next three to five years.

CloudWalk Technology has always appeared in the public eye as a "national team." In Zhou Xi's view, as a lucky one in the industry and era, CloudWalk's success today is absolutely inseparable from the country's firm support for the AI industry.

Looking back at the three years CloudWalk prepared for its IPO, Zhou Xi believes it was a very good period for management, allowing a macro-level review of the company's governance, maintaining rapid development while checking whether the system construction met requirements.

Although there have been insurmountable chasms, in Zhou Xi's view,"I absolutely believe that pressure makes people progress."

Due to the huge uncertainty of emerging industries, CloudWalk has also encountered unexpected challenges many times. For example, in 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce added CloudWalk Technology and other companies and institutions to the "Entity List."

Facing uncontrollable factors, Zhou Xi admitted that he once "studied Buddhism." He emphasized:"External factors are not the highest 'wall.' I think the highest 'wall' is definitely internal causes. Internal issues are decisive."Diverse perspectives also allow Zhou Xi to maintain a stable and objective mindset, facing all difficulties calmly.

Of course, Zhou Xi's confidence is well-founded. He believes that CloudWalk Technology's fundamental advantage is its pragmatic spirit. Moreover, scientists starting businesses have incomparable advantages, namely being good at analyzing problems through systematic learning and summarization.

"Clients are not just clients; they are experts worth learning from. Only when they have expertise and business can we improve their efficiency."

Zhou Xi has always had a vision of benefiting the country and the people.

"With the era of AI, a person may be able to make more attempts and experience several different life experiences."He believes that AI technology should carry the mission of enhancing human potential. The spring breeze has arrived, vigorous and unceasing.

Zhou Xi and CloudWalk Technology walk at the forefront of the world, looking to the future. He defines the future in 2050. As the century-long plan takes root, people will truly embrace the infinite possibilities created by AI technology.