- Initiative aims to train operators and community builders, not just coders
- Organizers say China’s open-source push now faces an ecosystem challenge rather than a technology gap
China’s first training program focused on operating AI open-source ecosystems officially launched in Hangzhou on May 18, underscoring a broader push to turn the country’s fast-growing AI projects into sustainable developer communities and commercial ecosystems.
The program, introduced at Alibaba Center in Hangzhou’s Xihu District, is jointly backed by Hangzhou Dianzi University, Tiangong Kaiwu Open Source Foundation, Datawhale and the local district talent office.
Organizers described it as a new training model combining government support, academic programs, foundation resources and community-driven practice.
The launch also marked the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement to build what organizers called China’s first integrated “credits, certification, employment” pathway for open-source talent development.
“China’s open-source ecosystem doesn’t lack technology. It lacks people who know how to operate projects and build communities around them,” Datawhale founder Fan Jingjing told an audience of more than 300 attendees, many of them AI developers, open-source enthusiasts and entrepreneurs.
Datawhale is a Hangzhou-based open-source AI learning community that bridges classroom theory and real-world industry needs.
“We want every line of code to be seen, and every collaboration to be recognized,” Fan added.
As part of the inaugural program, developers also unveiled DeepSeek-TUI, an open-source AI terminal tool written in Rust and connected to DeepSeek models.
The project made its way to GitHub’s global trending rankings in May 2026 and has accumulated more than 30,000 stars.
Project creator Hunter Bown, known affectionately in Chinese developer circles by his nickname “Whale Bro,” traveled from the US to Hangzhou to deliver a presentation titled “Harness Engineering & the Art of Possibility.”
“I firmly believe the real power of open source is giving every good idea a chance to become reality,” Bown said. The developer previously worked across music and legal fields before moving into open-source software.
Organizers said the first intake will enroll at least 100 participants, target a completion rate above 70%, and place at least 30 specialized ecosystem operators into partner companies.
The broader goal is to establish a replicable curriculum and operational framework that can be scaled nationwide.
Professor Xu Xuchu, dean of the AI Open Source Ecosystem Academy, affiliated with Hangzhou Dianzi University, said the initiative was designed differently from traditional universities.
“Traditional institutions build campuses first, then disciplines, then recruit students,” Xu said. “This academy starts with the ecosystem, then students, and only later considers whether it needs buildings at all.”
As China’s first AI-focused ecosystem academy, Xu’s institution was established at Hangzhou Dianzi University on April 29.
Organizers said the newly launched operations program marks the academy’s transition from concept into active talent training.
Programs have been planned over the next three years to help shape national standards for open-source AI education and expand the so-called “Hangzhou model” across China and overseas.
