DeepSeek Secures Reported $15B Days After U.S. Federal Ban
aiinsider ·
Chinese artificial intelligence lab DeepSeek has reportedly secured approximately $15 billion in one of China's largest funding rounds. This financial milestone occurred just two days after the U.S. government ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek’s technology due to security concerns. Potential investors in this round include major entities such as battery manufacturer CATL and WeChat owner Tencent. The new investment follows a previous raise of over $7 billion in June, which valued the company at $50 billion. Despite U.S. restrictions, the Hangzhou-based startup is increasing its investment in AI infrastructure and open models for both domestic and international markets. Founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, DeepSeek gained global attention in early 2025 with its free, open-weight R1 reasoning model. Liang reportedly retains an estimated 81.6% stake in the company's Chinese operating entity. This surge in capital intensifies competition among Chinese rivals, including Moonshot AI and Manus AI, who have also attracted significant recent investments.
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