DeepSeek's 12 Billion Dollar Raise: China's Answer to the Open-Weight Arms Race
DeepSeek is about to become one of the best-funded AI startups on the planet. The Chinese lab is close to securing at least 80 billion yuan, roughly 12 billion dollars, in a funding round backed by Tencent and battery giant CATL, Bloomberg reported October 6, 2026. People familiar with the deal say signed term sheets could push the total toward 100 billion yuan, about 15 billion dollars.