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DeepSeek nears $7.4 billion funding round, aiming for AI leadership
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Technology

DeepSeek nears $7.4 billion funding round, aiming for AI leadership

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Unnamed sources New plan
  • Chinese AI company DeepSeek is reportedly close to securing $7.4 billion in funding, potentially one of China's largest startup rounds.
  • Key investors include Tencent, CATL, and a Chinese government AI investment fund.
  • The company prioritizes AI research over short-term commercialization, aiming for artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek is reportedly on the verge of finalizing a significant funding round, aiming to raise approximately $7.4 billion. If successful, this would rank among the largest financing rounds ever for a startup in China.

According to Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, major investors backing this round include tech giant Tencent and CATL, the world's leading electric vehicle battery manufacturer. The Chinese government is also reportedly supporting the initiative through its dedicated AI industry investment fund.

External investors are expected to contribute around 30 billion yuan ($4.43 billion), with Tencent providing a third of that amount. DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng is reportedly investing an additional 20 billion yuan ($2.95 billion). This would bring the total package to approximately 50 billion yuan ($7.39 billion) and value the company, a prominent player in China's burgeoning AI sector, at around 350 billion yuan ($51.7 billion).

prioritize innovative AI research over short-term commercialization

— DeepSeek executivesStating the company's strategic focus.

Alibaba, another major Chinese AI player, was reportedly in preliminary negotiations but ultimately decided against investing. DeepSeek executives have stated the company's priority is innovative AI research rather than immediate commercialization. Liang emphasized the goal of pushing technological boundaries, ultimately aiming for artificial general intelligence (AGI) rather than solely focusing on monetization.

This strategic focus on research is notable, as AI companies globally face increasing pressure to demonstrate profitability after substantial investments in computing infrastructure. DeepSeek's stance contrasts with rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic, which are exploring IPOs or new revenue streams. The news follows DeepSeek's recent release of its open-source V4 AI model, which it claims rivals U.S. competitors in reasoning and general knowledge. Earlier in 2025, its R1 model gained attention for competing with U.S. counterparts at a significantly lower cost.

expand the limits of this technology, with the ultimate goal of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) rather than simply monetizing it.

— Liang WenfengExplaining the founder's long-term vision for DeepSeek.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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