DeepSeek Secures $15 Billion Funding Days After US Ban, Eyes IPO in Global AI Race
10 Sources
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DeepSeek reportedly raises $15B days after US restrictions
Just two days after the U.S. ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek's AI technology from their systems over security concerns, the Chinese AI lab has raised about $15 billion, about 100 billion yuan, one of the biggest funding rounds in the country, Bloomberg reported. Potential
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DeepSeek wrapping up $15 billion fundraising to fuel AI race
HONG KONG, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is wrapping up its latest funding round having generated about 100 billion yuan ($14.98 billion) from existing and new investors, two people with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday. Battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL)
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DeepSeek reportedly raises $15bn from Tencent and CATL ahead of IPO
Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has raised about 100bn yuan ($15bn), one of the largest private funding rounds ever in China. Bloomberg reported the deal on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Battery maker CATL and Tencent, which owns WeChat, were among the biggest investors. TNW has not
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DeepSeek raised about $15 billion ahead of a possible IPO
The Chinese AI startup hired Citic Securities to advise on a possible Shanghai listing, according to The Wall Street Journal DeepSeek raised about $15 billion in a private funding round as the Chinese AI startup prepares for a possible public listing, according to The Wall Street Journal and
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DeepSeek reportedly closes $15bn raise in race to IPO
Civilian agency IT systems in the US were ordered to halt using DeepSeek on Monday over supposed security concerns. DeepSeek has raised around $15bn (100bn yuan) in one of China's largest ever private fundraising rounds, Bloomberg news first reported early this morning (22 October). Contemporary
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DeepSeek Raises $15 Billion Ahead of Planned Shanghai IPO | PYMNTS.com
The financing nearly doubled its original target amid strong investor demand, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday (Oct. 22), citing people familiar with the matter. DeepSeek was valued at approximately $74 billion before the round closed. The financing comes as investors question whether AI
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Chinese AI firm DeepSeek raises $15B in latest challenge to OpenAI, Anthropic: report
Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek raked in $15 billion in a fresh fundraising round as it looks to challenge US-based labs like OpenAI and Anthropic, according to a report. The Hangzhou, China-based firm - one of several open-source contenders that have lured users with ultra-cheap,
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Deepseek raises $15 bln in Tencent, CATL-backed funding round - Bloomberg By Investing.com
Investing.com-- Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has raised about 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) in its latest funding round, marking a major step in its efforts to compete with U.S. AI leaders, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The
[9]
Chinese AI Startup DeekSeek Raised $15 Billion Ahead of Potential IPO
By Raffaele Huang and Tracy Qu DeepSeek has raised $15 billion in its second private financing round ahead of a potential public listing, nearly doubling its initial target thanks to strong investor interest, people familiar with the matter said. The Chinese artificial-intelligence startup is
[10]
Deepseek raises $15 billion in challenge to leading US labs, Bloomberg News reports
Oct 22 (Reuters) - Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has raised about 100 billion yuan ($14.98 billion) in its latest fundraising round, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday citing people familiar with the matter. Battery pioneer Contemporary Amperex Technology and WeChat-operator Tencent Holdings were
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Chinese AI startup DeepSeek closed a massive 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) funding round led by Tencent and CATL, just days after US restrictions banned federal agencies from using its technology. The Hangzhou-based company doubled its initial fundraising target and is now preparing for a potential IPO in Shanghai, positioning itself to compete against OpenAI and Anthropic despite national security concerns.
DeepSeek Closes One of China's Largest Private Funding Rounds
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has secured approximately 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) in what stands as one of the largest private funding rounds in China's history
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. Battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) and WeChat operator Tencent Holdings emerged as the biggest investors in this round, which closed just two days after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek's AI technology from their systems over national security concerns3
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Source: PYMNTS
The Hangzhou-based company significantly exceeded its original fundraising expectations. DeepSeek initially targeted 50 billion yuan, then increased to 80 billion yuan before ultimately settling at 100 billion yuan as investor demand surged during negotiations
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. This doubling of the initial fundraising target underscores strong interest from investors—many backed by the state and big corporations—as China aims to get ahead in the AI race against the U.S.2
.Building Momentum Toward a Potential IPO
The massive funding round signals that DeepSeek is accelerating toward public markets. The company has hired CITIC Securities, a state-owned investment bank, to prepare for a potential STAR Market IPO in Shanghai
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. In September, DeepSeek appointed Yan Wentao, who previously worked as a venture capitalist, as chief financial officer—a strategic move typically associated with IPO preparation4
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Source: The Next Web
Founder Liang Wenfeng informed investors during September that DeepSeek was generating revenue at an annualized pace of $1 billion
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. DeepSeek had a valuation of roughly $74 billion going into the round's final close4
. If the IPO timeline proceeds as planned, DeepSeek might reach the stock market before both OpenAI and its Chinese peer Moonshot AI, which secured $2 billion at a $20 billion valuation in May1
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.Competing in the Global AI Race Despite US Restrictions
This latest funding round follows DeepSeek's investment round in June, when it raised more than $7 billion at a valuation of $50 billion
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. The company was also reportedly seeking an additional $1.5 billion at a valuation of around $71 billion in July1
.DeepSeek is ramping up spending on AI infrastructure and open-source AI models for domestic and international markets, even as it faces US restrictions
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. The company hopes the new capital will support its push into overseas markets and data center investments4
. Last month, the company released its latest model, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash, which it said was designed for greater capability, faster inference, higher throughput and scaling to larger models2
.While the $15 billion raise is substantial, it still pales compared to what leading U.S. labs command. OpenAI and Anthropic have each raised more than $100 billion
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. However, DeepSeek drew global attention in early 2025 with its free-to-use, open-weight cost-effective R1 model, challenging the dominance of US AI companies and demonstrating that strong AI models could be built at a fraction of the usual cost1
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.Related Stories
Navigating Technology Dependencies and Geopolitical Tensions
DeepSeek still depends on Nvidia hardware when it trains its most demanding AI systems, but the company is partnering with Huawei Technologies to shift its training work onto Huawei chips made in China
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. Its cloud service already runs on chips made by China's Huawei, despite U.S. limits on chip exports3
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Source: Silicon Republic
The timing of this funding round is particularly significant given the escalating tensions between the U.S. and China over AI technology. On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security cited national security concerns in its order, stating that "multiple threat vectors" could potentially "result in the transfer of sensitive data to [China] if used by US government employees or vendors"
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. Responding to the situation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that China "will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests" of companies in the country5
.Liang Wenfeng founded DeepSeek in 2023 after co-founding Chinese quantitative hedge fund High-Flyer, which helped finance DeepSeek's early development
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. Liang still retains an estimated 81.6% stake in its Chinese operating entity following its earlier funding round1
. The massive investment signals continued confidence in DeepSeek's ability to compete globally despite mounting geopolitical pressures and regulatory challenges that could reshape the international AI landscape.References
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