Overview
- Reuters reported on Wednesday that DeepSeek is preparing to raise about 50 billion yuan ($7.4 billion) in its first external funding round.
- Sources say the deal could value the company at roughly 350–400 billion yuan after the investment and would be one of the largest first-time raises for an AI firm.
- Founder Liang Wenfeng has reportedly committed 20 billion yuan of his own money to the round, making him the single largest individual backer.
- Tencent is said to be considering about 10 billion yuan and battery maker CATL about 5 billion yuan, with final talks under way with the national AI fund, NetEase, JD.com, IDG Capital and Monolith and fewer than ten investors planned.
- The round is expected to close within weeks if terms hold, but the reporting is based on anonymous sources, several parties have declined to comment, and details remain subject to change; the deal would strengthen China’s push for self-sufficient AI infrastructure and could speed investment in data-center power and model deployment.