Tencent, China’s state-backed AI fund and DeepSeek’s founder are expected to take part in the round.
Chinese AI leader DeepSeek is close to finalising a $7.4bn funding round led by Tencent and Contemporary Amperex, with participation from the $8bn state-backed National Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund, multiple publications have reported.
The round is expected to value the GenAI darling between $52bn and $59bn, sources add, placing it leagues ahead of rival Moonshot, which raised $2bn last month at a valuation of $20bn.
External participants are expected to invest around $4.4bn, with Tencent pitching in $1.5bn, and battery giant CATL, around $735m, while company founder Liang Wenfeng has personally invested around $2.94bn, reports suggest.
Alibaba was also reported to be taking part in this round, while Tencent was reported to have proposed a 20pc stake in the company. The company is expected to complete the round in the next couple of weeks.
