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深势科技8亿融资背后:从科研作坊到中国版DeepMind
暗涌Waves· 2025-12-24 05:59
Core Viewpoint - DeepMind's documentary "The Thinking Game" parallels the journey of DeepMind and DeepSense Technology, highlighting the intersection of AI and biological research, while emphasizing the company's recent C-round financing of over 800 million RMB, leading to a valuation exceeding 6 billion RMB [3][4]. Group 1: Company Background and Development - DeepSense Technology was founded in 2017, initially funded by a 12 million RMB award from a national innovation competition, which laid the groundwork for its future success [6][5]. - The company gained recognition in 2020 by winning the Gordon Bell Award for breakthroughs in "deep potential" molecular simulations, marking a significant milestone in its development [6][7]. - The founder, Zhang Linfeng, turned down an offer from DeepMind to lead DeepSense, emphasizing a commitment to innovation in China [7]. Group 2: Key Technological Achievements - The company successfully replicated Google DeepMind's AlphaFold 2, a significant achievement in protein modeling, under limited resources, showcasing the team's dedication and expertise [11][12]. - DeepSense chose to focus on being a software platform rather than a biotech company, aiming to establish itself as a "micro-world Dassault System," which can be applied across various industries beyond pharmaceuticals [14][15]. Group 3: Strategic Decisions and Market Position - The decision to avoid direct drug development was driven by the need to maintain trust with pharmaceutical clients, allowing DeepSense to act as a neutral third party [15]. - The establishment of a "super laboratory" aims to bridge the gap between AI predictions and practical applications, addressing the challenge of data scarcity in AI for Science [17][18]. Group 4: Funding and Market Dynamics - The recent C-round financing included state-backed institutions, indicating that AI for Science is now viewed as a strategic national research infrastructure [21][20]. - Despite the potential, Chinese AI for Science companies face valuation pressures compared to their U.S. counterparts, with a need for a breakthrough project akin to AlphaFold to gain investor confidence [23][22]. Group 5: Philosophical Considerations - The founders of DeepSense reflect on the ethical implications of AI, recognizing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the importance of maintaining human values in the face of technological advancement [25][26].