DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, raised nearly $16 billion this month from big Chinese tech firms and state-backed institutions, a sign of deep support behind it.
DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence company, raised nearly $16 billion in a funding round this month. The money came from a long list of Chinese tech investors and from some of the country's most powerful state-backed institutions. That is according to details of the round obtained by The Information.
The round happened this month. It is only the second time DeepSeek has raised money from outside investors. The backers include what The Information describes as a who's who of Chinese tech companies. Several state-backed institutions also took part.
DeepSeek makes AI tools that compete with the chatbots and assistants many people already use. A raise this size gives the company a lot of money to work with. The mix of investors also suggests that both private industry and government-linked groups want it to succeed.
The material available does not name the individual investors or say how much each one put in. It also does not say what DeepSeek plans to do with the money, or what the company is now valued at. Those details would show how the company might grow and compete.
More details may come out as the round is confirmed and reported on. For now, the clearest point is the scale of the money and the support behind it.
DeepSeek, a rival to AI tools you may use, now has nearly $16 billion and backing from both Chinese tech firms and state-backed groups.
A former Nvidia product manager has started Udu Technologies to let African startups and institutions rent AI computing power instead of buying it.
Read more: Ex-Nvidia engineer starts company to bring AI computing power to AfricaEA has re-released 25 classic PC games at a discount until November 19, and Bethesda has finally given The Elder Scrolls VI a subtitle: Sentinel.
Read more: EA brings 25 classic PC games back, and Elder Scrolls VI gets a nameOpenAI released a ChatGPT for analysts and bankers that shows where each number came from, a feature that could matter well beyond finance.
Read more: OpenAI launches a ChatGPT built for Wall Street analysts
