Quick Answer
- Bloomberg reported on October 6, 2026 that DeepSeek is raising at least 80 billion yuan (about $12 billion).
- The round could grow to nearly 100 billion yuan (about $15 billion).
- Tencent and CATL are reported to be committing the largest amounts.
- DeepSeek has hired CITIC Securities to prepare a possible IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market. Timing, valuation and size are not set.
- DeepSeek has not announced this itself. It is a media report.
What is the DeepSeek funding news?
DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company behind the R1 and V4 models, is reportedly raising a very large new round. Bloomberg says the amount is at least 80 billion yuan, which is about $12 billion, and could reach nearly 100 billion yuan.
For a company that took no outside money until this year, this is a big step.
Who is investing?
Tencent and CATL, the battery maker, are said to be putting in the largest sums. Both also invested in the company’s first outside round earlier in 2026, where reports say Tencent put in roughly 10 billion yuan and CATL roughly 5 billion yuan.
That first round raised about 50 billion yuan and valued DeepSeek at about $52 billion to $59 billion. Other earlier backers included JD.com, NetEase and a Chinese national AI investment fund. Founder Liang Wenfeng reportedly put in about 20 billion yuan himself.
The valuation for this new round has not been reported.
What about a DeepSeek IPO?
Reports say DeepSeek has lined up CITIC Securities to prepare a possible listing on the STAR Market in Shanghai. Some coverage points to early 2027, but the timing, valuation and size of the IPO have not been decided, according to Bloomberg’s account.
Why does this matter?
DeepSeek became widely known in early 2025 with its open-source R1 model. Since then it has kept releasing models, and you can see the latest in our DeepSeek V4.1 Flash explainer. Money at this scale means more computing power, which is the main limit for every AI lab right now.
It also lands in the middle of a tense moment between US and Chinese AI companies. Our report on the Moonshot AI and Anthropic distillation row shows how closely rivals are being watched.
What is still unknown
- Whether the round closes at $12 billion or higher
- The valuation of the new round
- The exact amounts from each investor
- When, or if, the IPO will happen
- DeepSeek’s own comment, as no official statement was found
FAQ
How much is DeepSeek raising?
At least 80 billion yuan, about $12 billion, per Bloomberg. It could reach nearly 100 billion yuan.
Who is backing DeepSeek?
Tencent and CATL are reported to be the largest investors in this round.
Is DeepSeek going public?
It is preparing for a possible IPO on the STAR Market with CITIC Securities, but nothing is final.
What is DeepSeek worth?
Its earlier 2026 round valued it at about $52 billion to $59 billion. The new valuation has not been reported.
Has DeepSeek confirmed the round?
Not in the sources we checked. It is based on a Bloomberg report.
Why does DeepSeek need so much money?
Large AI models need heavy computing power. Reports do not give a spending plan, so this is general context.
