Bloomberg: DeepSeek reportedly raises $15 billion after U.S. restrictions
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DeepSeek reportedly raised about $15 billion (100 billion yuan) in one of China’s largest funding rounds, according to Bloomberg, as cited by TechCrunch. The round reportedly came two days after the U.S. ordered federal civilian agencies to remove the company’s technology from their systems over national security concerns. Potential investors include battery maker CATL and Tencent, the company behind WeChat.
The funding reportedly followed a round of more than $7 billion in June that valued the company at $50 billion. In July, DeepSeek was reportedly seeking an additional $1.5 billion at a valuation of about $71 billion, with plans for a potential IPO in China as early as next year. The company, founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, is reportedly increasing spending on AI infrastructure and open models for domestic and international markets.
Why it matters · editorial interpretation
If confirmed, the funding would significantly increase DeepSeek’s backing and support its expansion in infrastructure and open models. Its timing near the U.S. order also illustrates how national-security measures can influence AI investment decisions, although the details remain reported by Bloomberg and TechCrunch.
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