The Hidden Story Behind DeepSeek: From Algorithmic Trading to Artificial Intelligence

At first glance, DeepSeek may appear to be a sudden newcomer in the artificial intelligence world.
However, the reality is far more complex.
DeepSeek is the result of nearly two decades of research, experimentation, and infrastructure development, long before it became a trending AI name.
📉 The Beginning: A Financial Crisis That Sparked an Idea (2007)
In 2007, global markets were experiencing serious economic instability due to major financial decisions in the United States.
During this period, three Chinese engineers asked a simple but bold question:
Why should humans make all trading decisions when computers can analyze data faster and more objectively?
This question led them to explore Algorithmic Trading — systems that automatically execute buy and sell decisions based on predefined rules and data analysis, without direct human intervention.
📊 From Research to Reality: High-Flyer (2015)
After years of experimentation, the team officially founded High-Flyer in China in 2015.
The goal was clear:
- Help investors make smarter decisions
- Reduce emotional bias in trading
- Use algorithms to analyze large-scale financial data efficiently
At this stage, the company was still focused primarily on financial markets, not general artificial intelligence.
🧠 Enter Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (2016–2017)
Between 2016 and 2017, the team took a major step forward by integrating:
- Machine Learning
- Artificial Intelligence models
This shift allowed their systems to:
- Learn from historical data
- Improve performance over time
- Adapt to changing market conditions
This marked the transition from traditional algorithmic trading to data-driven intelligence.
🔬 High-Flyer AI: A Research-Oriented Shift (2019)
In 2019, the company expanded its scope by launching High-Flyer AI, placing a stronger emphasis on:
- AI research
- Deep learning
- Long-term innovation beyond finance
This move laid the groundwork for what would later become DeepSeek.
🖥️ Massive Computing Power Investments (2020–2021)
To support advanced AI research, High-Flyer invested heavily in computing infrastructure:
- 2020: A deep learning supercomputer costing approximately 200 million yuan
- 2021: A more powerful system costing nearly 1 billion yuan, equipped with around 10,000 NVIDIA A100 GPUs
At the time, this infrastructure ranked among the most powerful computing systems globally, enabling large-scale AI model training.
🚀 The Birth of DeepSeek and the AGI Vision (2023)
In April 2023, the company announced a dedicated research team focused on developing Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) — systems designed to approach human-level reasoning.
This initiative was officially named DeepSeek, representing a strategic shift away from financial markets toward general-purpose AI research.
🧩 DeepSeek Did Not Appear Overnight
DeepSeek is not the result of a sudden trend or short-term hype.
It is the outcome of:
- Years of algorithmic research
- Deep experience in data-driven systems
- Massive investment in AI infrastructure
- A gradual transition from finance to general AI
⚠️ The Real Question Today
Despite its strong foundation, DeepSeek still faces significant challenges, including:
- Competing with established global AI models
- Scaling responsibly and efficiently
- Balancing research goals with real-world applications
These challenges will ultimately determine whether DeepSeek becomes a long-term leader or remains a specialized research-driven platform.
🧠 Final Thoughts
DeepSeek’s story highlights an important lesson in technology:
True innovation is rarely sudden.
It is built quietly, over years of experimentation, failure, and refinement.
Understanding this background helps explain why DeepSeek has gained attention — and why its future is worth watching.