Academician Li graduated from Peking University in 1968 and received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1985. In 1987, he returned to China and worked at the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). From 1990 to 1999, he served as the director of the National Intelligent Computer Research and Development Center. From 2000 to 2011, he served as the director of the Institute of Computing Technology of CAS. He is currently the chief scientist of the Institute. In 1995, he founded Dawning Information Industry Co., LTD., which was listed on the main board in 2014 and has been the chairman of the board. He is currently the honorary chairman of the Chinese Computer Society and the Dean of the School of Computer and Control, University of CAS. He mainly engaged in the research of computer architecture, parallel algorithm, artificial intelligence, computer network and information technology development strategy. He was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1995, and an academician of the Third World Academy of Sciences (now TWAS) in 2001.