Weeks before DeepSeek prepared its mainland IPO filing, China expanded STAR Market rules to let unprofitable AI labs list, raising questions about who the change is for.

DeepSeek's rapid rise from hedge fund spin-off to $52B AI powerhouse challenges US dominance and sends ripple effects through crypto and chip markets.

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is planning to launch a fresh fundraising round at a valuation of about 500 billion yuan (US$74 billion) ahead of a potential mainland initial public…