After rapidly emerging as a key player in the global artificial intelligence (AI) industry, Chinese AI firm DeepSeek has started a rapid expansion plan, as it made high-paying job offers for both fresh graduates and experienced professionals to attract top-tier talent, according to a China Fund News report.

The firm offers 14-month pay for various positions and the highest offer is for deep learning researchers for artificial general intelligence (AGI), with a monthly salary between 80,000 yuan ($10,983) and 110,000 yuan, which could mean an annual income of up to 1.54 million yuan, the report said.

In comparison, the estimated total pay for an AI engineer in China is 450,000 yuan per year, with an average annual salary of 380,000 yuan, according to the US-based career platform Glassdoor.

As of Wednesday, on online recruitment platform BOSS Zhipin, DeepSeek listed more than 50 job offers, including over 40 for technology-related positions. On BOSS Zhipin, the lowest salary listed by DeepSeek, for a client-side engineer, is 300,000 yuan per year.

According to the China Fund News report, the Hangzhou-based tech company, which currently employs around 150 staff members, is seeking to fill 52 new positions across various fields, including deep machine learning researchers for AGI, researchers for core technologies, and user interface designers. The job locations are primarily in Beijing and Hangzhou.

The recruitment push came after DeepSeek's AI model became the most downloaded mobile app in 140 markets worldwide, according to Bloomberg. The company has since been described as a "dark horse" in the AI sector.

Despite its impressive rise, the company still requires additional top-tier talent to drive innovation and growth, Tian Feng, former dean of Chinese AI software giant SenseTime's Intelligence Industry Research Institute, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

With DeepSeek's core focus on large language models and AGI, which demand extensive R&D and highly skilled talent, the firm aims to attract the best talent to support its ambitious goals in AGI research and development by offering competitive salaries, Tian noted.

"As DeepSeek continues its expansion, the company is expected to play a crucial role in advancing AI technology both domestically and internationally. Its commitment to attracting top talent through competitive salaries and benefits underscores its determination to lead in this rapidly evolving field," Tian said.