DeepSeek reportedly raises $15B days after US restrictions
The Chinese AI lab is said to have raised about 100 billion yuan from investors including CATL and Tencent.
Money#03
$15B
Reported raise, about 100 billion yuan
Image: TechCrunch
$15BReported raise, about 100 billion yuan
The short version
- Two days after the U.S. ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek's AI technology over security concerns, the Chinese AI lab reportedly raised about $15 billion.
- Bloomberg reported that potential investors include CATL and Tencent, among others.
- The round follows a June investment of more than $7 billion at a $50 billion valuation.
- DeepSeek may pursue an IPO in China as early as next year.
Why it matters
The report shows investors continuing to put large sums into AI labs in China despite U.S. restrictions. For developers, DeepSeek's plans to expand spending on infrastructure and open models point to more competition among open models.
“The Hangzhou-based AI startup is ramping up spending on AI infrastructure and open models for domestic and international markets, even as it faces restrictions in the U.S., the report said.”