DeepSeek Targets $50B Valuation in First-Ever External Fundraising Round

r/singularity / TechCrunch / Reuters·high signal

Chinese AI lab DeepSeek is raising $3B–$4B in its first external fundraising round, targeting a $45B–$50B valuation — up from $20B just weeks earlier. China's national semiconductor fund (China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund) is in talks to lead, with Tencent also negotiating participation. Previously self-funded entirely through founder Liang Wenfeng's quant hedge fund High-Flyer, this marks DeepSeek's transition from pure research lab to commercially capitalized AI company, escalating the US-China AI compute race.