HONG KONG, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Universities across China

have launched artificial intelligence (AI) courses this month

based on Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, whose AI breakthrough has

been described as a "Sputnik moment" for China and garnered

widespread attention.

The move comes as Chinese authorities aim to boost

scientific and technological innovation in schools and

universities that can create new sources of growth for the

world's second-largest economy.

DeepSeek, a Hangzhou-based startup, has been showered with

praise by Silicon Valley executives and U.S. tech company

engineers alike, who say its models DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1

are on par with OpenAI and Meta's most advanced models.

Shenzhen University in southern Guangdong province said this

week that it was launching an artificial intelligence course

based on DeepSeek which would help students learn about key

technologies and also on security, privacy, ethics and other

challenges it said.

It will "explore how to find a balance between technological

innovation and ethical norms."

Zhejiang University in eastern China said it began holding

special DeepSeek courses in February.

Shanghai's Jiao Tong University has deployed DeepSeek to

upgrade AI learning tools for its courses, it said on its

official Wechat account. Renmin University of China has also put

DeepSeek into application in "multiple fields, injecting new

power for teaching and research, campus office," it said.

China in January issued its first national action plan to

build a "strong education nation" by 2035 which it said aims to

establish a "high quality education system" with accessibility

and quality "among the best in the world."

Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, attended a rare meeting

on Monday with President Xi Jinping and some of the biggest

names in China's technology sector, such as Alibaba ( BABA ) .