Reuters: DeepSeek to Complete First Funding Round, Tencent and CATL Bet Big

(Central News Agency, Taipei, 3rd) Reuters reported today, citing sources, that DeepSeek, China's most famous AI startup, is about to complete its first funding round, expected to raise about 50 billion yuan (approximately NT$230 billion). The main investors are internet giant Tencent and battery giant CATL.

Sources said that after this funding, DeepSeek's valuation could be between 350 billion and 400 billion yuan.

The report indicates that this funding round marks a reversal of DeepSeek's long-standing strategy of not seeking external investment. The rapidly developing AI industry has surpassed the low-cost open-source chatbot model that DeepSeek's breakthrough progress relied on. Now, the development focus has shifted to AI agents that can perform more complex tasks with less human intervention.

Sources revealed that DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng has invested 20 billion yuan of his own funds in this round. They also said that Tencent is considering investing 10 billion yuan, and CATL is considering investing 5 billion yuan, making the two giants the largest external investors in this round.

Sources also said that DeepSeek is in final negotiations with China's National Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund, game developer NetEase, and e-commerce giant JD.com, and noted that the number of investors in the first funding round plan is less than 10.

According to the report, DeepSeek, Liang Wenfeng, NetEase, JD.com, and the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, which is a major contributor to the National AI Fund, did not immediately respond; Tencent and CATL declined to comment.

The report said the involvement of these investors highlights China's efforts to build an increasingly self-sufficient AI industry, covering everything from models to the energy infrastructure needed to power them.

Earlier last year, DeepSeek gained widespread acclaim in Silicon Valley for its V3 and R1 models, challenging US perceptions of China's AI capabilities and catapulting it to the status of a national champion in China's AI field.

The report mentioned that in April, DeepSeek claimed its new agent-centric V4 model redefined the highest standard for open-source models, but third-party evaluations show it lags behind the best models of some US and Chinese competitors. (Editor: Yang Shengru) 1150603