Jian ZhuJames Zhu

I help games launch and run reliably in China. Starting from database and systems engineering, I have led teams that turned datacenters, private cloud, and public cloud into one dependable platform behind every Blizzard China game. Today I apply the same engineering discipline to AI tooling that removes friction from engineers' everyday work.

23+ yrs: Across IT & engineering
4: Global companies: Blizzard · Dell · HP · Foxconn
Full stack: Databases · systems · cloud · AI
Beyond tech: Customer support · partners · vendors

Explore projects Cloud governance approach LinkedIn GitHub

What I bring

Manager of Cloud Engineering

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Shanghai, China

Technical depth, business judgment, and the ability to lead a team.

Since joining Blizzard in October 2012, I have worked on the IT infrastructure behind every Blizzard China game. Over the past decade and more, I grew from hands-on operations to leading the datacenter, systems engineering, and cloud engineering teams: I have worked at every layer of the stack and am accountable for the outcome.

I started with datacenter operations, systems engineering, database server provisioning, and datacenter design, then built the OpenStack private cloud for the Overwatch China launch. From there I established the multi-cloud strategy and progressively deployed games and web applications on AWS China. After the China service relaunch, I handled nearly all cloud engineering work, deploying every China game across Alibaba Cloud and AWS China.

I make technical decisions from the business outward: when a game launches and how reliably it runs determine which platforms to choose, how teams are organized, and how we work with cloud vendors and partners. I brought datacenter, private cloud, and public cloud together into one platform, so every launch follows a proven path and the team can focus on the next goal.

Full-stack engineering: Databases, systems, datacenters, OpenStack private cloud, AWS China, and Alibaba Cloud: hands-on experience at every layer.
Business-first: Trade-offs shaped by game launches and long-term operations, mapping technical plans to business timing and risk.
Team leadership: Built and led datacenter, systems engineering, and cloud engineering teams, turning individual know-how into repeatable process.
Partners & vendors: Working with cloud vendors, partners, suppliers, and customer support teams to deliver across organizational boundaries.

AI for engineering productivity

I turn real pain points from infrastructure teams into open-source tools that make models and coding assistants easier to adopt. These organizations collect related projects; check individual repositories for code and contribution history.

I also look at AI from the business-user side: choosing worthwhile investments, improving workflows, and keeping people accountable. See my Business AI perspective.

Chat2AnyLLMBrowse projects for model conversations and coding assistants. OmniLLMBrowse model API, agent, and everyday tool projects.

Areas of practice

A full engineering stack, from datacenters to multi-cloud to AI tools.

AI & developer tools

AI Tools & Agents
LLM Integration
Open Source
Developer Tools

Cloud & engineering

Multi-cloud
Hybrid Cloud
OpenStack
AWS China
Alibaba Cloud
Anti-DDoS
Datacenter Design & Operations
Database Server Provisioning
Infrastructure Engineering
Cloud Security
DevOps

Systems, automation & data

Linux / UNIX
Automation
Ansible
Puppet
HashiCorp
Bash / Shell
Perl
SQL
Oracle
Informix
SAP ERP
HP-UX / Solaris / AIX

Leadership & partnerships

Team Leadership
Vendor Management
Partner Relationships
Customer Support
ITIL

Experience

From databases and systems engineering to OpenStack private cloud and game infrastructure on AWS China and Alibaba Cloud. Expand each role for the details.

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Shanghai, China

2012.10 — Present

Manager of Cloud Engineering

2020.08 — Present

Responsible for cloud engineering for Blizzard China games; before the original NetEase licensing agreement expired, continued Overwatch deployment on AWS China, including cloud services and anti-DDoS protection.
Following the China service relaunch, handled nearly all cloud engineering work, deploying all China game services across an environment comprising Alibaba Cloud and AWS China to support game launches and ongoing operations.
Contributed cloud deployments to the China relaunch projects for World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch, and other titles.

Manager of IT Infrastructure Engineering

2017.03 — 2020.08

Established a multicloud strategy for Blizzard China, deploying several game products and web applications to public cloud platforms.
Progressively deployed Overwatch on AWS China following its OpenStack private-cloud deployment, including cloud services and anti-DDoS protection in the AWS environment.
Led the systems engineering team, integrating public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises datacenter infrastructure.

Lead System Engineer

2016.03 — 2017.03

Built an OpenStack-based private cloud to run Overwatch as its China launch marked a transition in infrastructure delivery.
Shifted focus from datacenter operations and systems engineering to private-cloud platform construction and game infrastructure deployment.

Lead System Administrator

2015.03 — 2016.03

Responsible for IT work across Blizzard China's datacenters, including operations, systems engineering, database server provisioning, and datacenter design.
Contributed infrastructure and systems support to the China launches of Diablo III and Heroes of the Storm, and to the StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void project.

Senior System Administrator

2012.10 — 2015.03

Responsible for daily operations and systems engineering across Blizzard China's datacenters, provisioning database servers and contributing to datacenter design for game operations.
Contributed to World of Warcraft China operations and expansion projects, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, and the Hearthstone China launch.

Dell Inc.

China · Global team

2010.05 — 2012.10

Linux Service Engineer

2010.05 — 2012.10

Remotely managed applications and provided UNIX / Linux support in a global team spanning the US, Mexico, India, and China.
Wrote system administration, monitoring, and automation scripts (Perl, Korn shell, Java) to identify performance and system issues and investigate their root causes.
Handled incidents and participated in weekend on-call support in China; reviewed, implemented, and assessed risks for changes using ITIL processes.
Planned software upgrades and hardware migrations, built test and production environments, and collaborated with developers, DBAs, and front-end teams on troubleshooting.
Shared technical knowledge, trained new colleagues, and maintained team documentation in SharePoint.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company

Global technical support

2007.12 — 2010.05

System Software Engineer

2007.12 — 2010.05

Provided advanced technical support for HP OpenView customers in a global team, including problem analysis, solution development, documentation, and delivery.
Built development and test environments on HP-UX, Solaris, Linux, and AIX and installed server and client software.
Developed monitoring solutions, templates, and solution packages for HP OMU / OVO using Shell and Perl.
Worked with customers on debugging, performed unit tests, wrote technical articles, and shared knowledge with colleagues.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (Foxconn)

Database engineering

2003.12 — 2007.12

Senior Database Engineer

2003.12 — 2007.12

Managed SAP ERP and its databases, Oracle databases, and Informix databases.

Education

Peking University

Bachelor’s degree, Computer Science

2008 — 2011

Hunan University

University, Computer Science and Technology

2000 — 2003