DeepSeek Reportedly Raising $7.3B at $51.5B Valuation; V4.1 Debuts in June

DeepSeek, the Chinese AI lab, is preparing to raise 50 billion RMB ($7.35 billion) in its first external funding round. Founder Liang Wenfeng plans to contribute 20 billion RMB, representing 40% of the round, with a post-money valuation potentially exceeding 350 billion RMB ($51.5 billion). This funding marks a strategic shift for DeepSeek, which has previously avoided outside capital to maintain research independence. Rising compute costs and talent competition have prompted this pivot, as the company aims to accelerate its product release cadence closer to industry standards.