OVC launches initiative to attract global AI talent

Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China, or OVC) has launched the "AI Major Innovation and Entrepreneurship Team Introduction Special Action" to attract top-tier talent and multidisciplinary innovation teams from around the world, with comprehensive support reaching up to 13.5 million yuan ($1.96 million).

OVC announces its ambitious plan to recruit high-caliber AI talent and teams from around the world. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

This initiative focuses on team support, housing security, and incentives for talent attraction, emphasizing a holistic evaluation approach that disregards traditional metrics such as publications, titles, degrees, or awards, and instead targets "extraordinary, unconventional, and genius" talent as well as practical experts in AI.

The eligible team leaders will be directly recognized as "3551 Leading Talents" and can nominate three core members as "3551 High-level Talents". They will also be eligible for a housing subsidy of up to 500,000 yuan and will enjoy a range of benefits in healthcare, transportation, and cultural tourism.

For the first time, criteria such as GitHub star counts, large model token usage, and product user metrics are being used to identify candidates. This approach aims to bridge the academic, industrial, and ecosystem sectors to ensure comprehensive talent inclusion.

OVC currently hosts over 800 AI enterprises, with industry-scale exceeding 60 billion yuan and regional computing power surpassing 5,000 petaflops. Having established a complete industry chain, the zone serves as a national hub for AI innovation and development, inviting global AI leaders and teams to settle in OVC and collaborate to build a new beacon for the AI industry.