Since 2018, China's quantitative hedge fund industry has been sprinting forward with only brief pauses.

In just a few years, the number of quantitative private funds managing over 10 billion yuan has exceeded 30, with the top-tier firms solidifying their positions and pushing industry-wide salaries higher.

Although the sector entered a "consolidation phase" in the past year, temporarily dialing back the once-ubiquitous "million-yuan compensation packages" and sky-high daily pay, the industry remains in a prolonged salary inflation cycle.

Now, as the autumn-winter recruitment season kicks off, quantitative firms are reopening their wallets, driving compensation curves upward once again—this time with tangible structural increases rather than temporary spikes.

The resurgence of "thousand-yuan daily internship pay" highlights a stark contrast: while tech giants slow hiring and tighten budgets, quantitative firms are doubling down to secure top talent.

**The Return of "Thousand-Yuan Daily Pay"** Ubiquant Investment, one of China's leading quantitative hedge funds with over 60 billion yuan in assets, and its affiliate Ubiquant Ventures, a tech investment and incubation platform, recently posted AI-related internship openings.

Ubiquant Investment is recruiting "AI Algorithm Interns," while Ubiquant Ventures seeks "AI Industry Research Interns." What stands out are the pay scales:

According to a top recruitment platform, Ubiquant Investment offers 800–1,000 yuan per day for algorithm interns, while Ubiquant Ventures pays 300–400 yuan daily for research interns.

Extrapolated from the postings, algorithm interns working three days a week for six months could earn over 12,000 yuan monthly before taxes, while research interns working five days a week for three months could approach 6,000 yuan monthly—placing these roles at the pinnacle of financial internships for students.

Though both roles are AI-focused, their responsibilities differ: algorithm interns focus on model and data development, while research interns analyze industry trends and investment opportunities.

**Spending Spree in Recruitment Season** September and October mark peak hiring season for quantitative firms.

Professionals and graduates alike use this window to either switch jobs before year-end bonuses reset or secure coveted internships. Consequently, compensation at this stage reflects firms' willingness to invest in talent.

Ubiquant’s ecosystem exemplifies this trend. Beyond its core hedge fund business, Ubiquant Ventures is expanding in tech investments, offering 30,000–60,000 yuan monthly for "AI Industry Researchers/Analysts" under a 16-month salary structure (annual pay including bonuses). At the upper range, this translates to nearly 960,000 yuan pre-tax annually—maintaining the sector’s high compensation standards even in its "secondary" tech venture arm.

Core roles at Ubiquant Investment, such as Python data engineers and quantitative developers, similarly command 30,000–60,000 yuan monthly (16-month pay), with senior roles exceeding 70,000 yuan. Pre-tax annual packages for these positions typically range from 900,000 to 1.1 million yuan.

**The High-Stakes Talent War** Other top quantitative firms with 50+ billion yuan in assets are also splurging this season.

For instance, Lingjun Investments and Yanfu Investments offer 800–1,000 yuan daily for quantitative research interns and 400–500 yuan for machine learning or C++ development interns. Monthly pre-tax pay for research interns reaches 15,000–20,000 yuan, far surpassing most finance internships.

Permanent roles reveal even deeper pockets. Core tech positions like quantitative system developers or high-frequency trading engineers at these firms provide 30,000–60,000 yuan monthly (16-month pay), with annual packages between 480,000 and 960,000 yuan—and senior roles pushing higher.

Even Mingqiu Investments, hiring for recruitment managers, offers 15,000–30,000 yuan monthly under an 18-month pay structure, capping at 540,000 yuan annually—demonstrating premium compensation even for non-technical roles.

**The New Salary Ceiling** Quantitative firms and tech giants now compete for the same talent pool.

Roles in AI modeling, data analysis, and algorithm development demand identical skill sets—crunching data, building models, and optimizing decisions. Previously, such talent flocked to tech firms, but quantitative players are now luring them with higher pay and performance incentives.

Major tech companies currently offer 25,000–60,000 yuan monthly (15–16-month pay) for data or AI product roles, translating to 400,000–900,000 yuan annually.

Quantitative firms go further: system developers and data engineers earn 30,000–60,000 yuan monthly (16-month pay), with senior roles breaching 1 million yuan easily. Some firms add profit-sharing, tying compensation directly to fund performance.

In this talent tug-of-war, quantitative firms are making their stance clear—with cold, hard cash.