MoneyThe story, in brief
CATL and Tencent back Deepseek's ballooning funding round as the AI startup eyes a 2027 IPO
$12B. DeepSeek's new round—with CATL and Tencent backing—signals a 2027 IPO play and Chinese AI's compute-first pivot.
The KeyNews take
Why it matters
DeepSeek is raising at least $12B in a major funding round backed by battery maker CATL and Tencent, targeting a 2027 IPO. This signals deepening capital concentration in frontier Chinese AI and a shift in how compute-heavy labs fund themselves outside the US venture market.
The key facts
4 to knowDeepSeek raising at least $12 billion
CATL (battery/energy manufacturer) and Tencent (tech conglomerate) backing the round
Company targeting 2027 IPO
Source: Bloomberg reporting
Go to the source
The Decoderthe-decoder.com
Publisher excerpt: Deepseek is close to raising at least $12 billion in a new funding round, Bloomberg reports.