DeepSeek Raises $15B After US Removal Order — SkimNews
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- DeepSeek raised about $15 billion, or 100 billion yuan, just two days after the U.S. ordered federal civilian agencies to remove its AI technology over security concerns
- CATL and Tencent are among the potential investors in DeepSeek’s latest funding round, which marks one of the largest in China’s AI sector
- DeepSeek previously raised over $7 billion in June at a $50 billion valuation and was seeking an additional $1.5 billion at a $71 billion valuation in July
- DeepSeek plans to use the funds to expand AI infrastructure and open models for domestic and international markets despite U.S. restrictions
- Liang Wenfeng, DeepSeek’s founder and former co-founder of High-Flyer, retains an estimated 81.6% stake in the company’s Chinese operating entity after earlier funding
- Kimi developer Moonshot AI secured $2 billion at a $20 billion valuation in May, highlighting continued investor momentum in Chinese AI startups
- Zhipu AI and MiniMax, Chinese AI firms that went public in Hong Kong in January, now have market capitalizations of approximately $29 billion and $7.2 billion, respectively
Why it matters: DeepSeek’s $15 billion raise—coming immediately after U.S. removal orders—signals strong domestic investor confidence and accelerates China’s self-reliant AI infrastructure push, increasing competitive pressure on both Western and domestic rivals amid tightening tech decoupling. The scale of funding reshapes the AI startup valuation floor in China.
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