Deepseek Company News & Analysis — The Information

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Tencent, Alibaba in Talks to Invest in DeepSeek at $20 Billion-Plus Valuation

By The Information Staff · Apr 22, 2026 4:17am PDT

Chinese tech giants Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group are in talks to invest in DeepSeek, the AI upstart that recently started fundraising for the first time, according to four people with knowledge of the conversations. DeepSeek, owned by Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer Capital Management, is now seeking to raise funding at a valuation of more... Chinese tech giants Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group are in talks to invest in DeepSeek, the AI...

Art by Mike Sullivan

China’s DeepSeek is Raising Money for First Time, At $10 Billion-Plus Valuation

By Qianer Liu, Jing Yang and Juro Osawa · Apr 17, 2026 7:36am PDT

DeepSeek is in talks to raise outside capital for the first time, seeking to beef up its financial war chest so it can better compete in the costly battle to develop leading AI models, according to five people familiar with the matter. DeepSeek is owned by Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer Capital Management, which has financed the startup so far.... DeepSeek is in talks to raise outside capital for the first time, seeking to beef up its...

Art by Mike Sullivan

DeepSeek’s New AI Model Will Be a Victory for Huawei

By Qianer Liu · Apr 3, 2026 6:00am PDT

When DeepSeek introduces its next-generation model, likely in the next few weeks, it will mark a milestone in China’s yearslong quest for semiconductor self-sufficiency. That’s because the new model, called V4, will be able to run on the latest chips designed by Huawei Technologies. And in preparation for V4’s launch, Chinese tech giants,... When DeepSeek introduces its next-generation model, likely in the next few weeks, it will mark a...

Getty Images.

DeepSeek To Release Next Flagship AI Model With Strong Coding Ability

By The Information Staff · Jan 9, 2026 5:11am PST

Getty Images.

DeepSeek To Release Next Flagship AI Model With Strong Coding Ability

By The Information Staff · Jan 9, 2026 5:11am PST

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is expected to launch its next-generation AI model that features strong coding capabilities in the coming weeks, according to two people with direct knowledge of the plan. The new model, V4, is a successor to the V3 model DeepSeek released in December 2024. Initial tests done by DeepSeek employees based on the company... Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is expected to launch its next-generation AI model that features...

Art by Mike Sullivan

DeepSeek is Using Banned Nvidia Chips in Race to Build Next Model

By The Information Staff · Dec 10, 2025 4:00am PST · 5 comments

DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup, has been developing its next major model using several thousand Nvidia’s state-of-the-art Blackwell chips which the U.S. has forbidden from being exported to China, according to six people with knowledge of the matter. The chips DeepSeek is using were smuggled into China, the people said, through a convoluted... DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup, has been developing its next major model using several thousand...

Art via Mike Sullivan

DeepSeek Opts for Huawei Chips to Train Some Models

By Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Aug 29, 2025 6:00am PDT

DeepSeek, one of China’s leading artificial intelligence developers, has decided to use Huawei Technologies’ AI chips to train some of its AI models, a sign it is reducing its reliance on Nvidia chips, according to three people with knowledge of the effort. The move follows pressure by the Chinese government on local tech companies to use... DeepSeek, one of China’s leading artificial intelligence developers, has decided to use Huawei...

Reflection.AI founders Misha Laskin and Ioannis Antonoglou. Photo via Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Reflection AI Targets $1 Billion to Take on Meta, DeepSeek in Open Source

By Kevin McLaughlin, Stephanie Palazzolo and Natasha Mascarenhas · Aug 4, 2025 7:05pm PDT · 4 comments

Reflection AI, a one-year-old startup co-founded by former Google DeepMind researchers, is in talks to raise more than $1 billion to fund its efforts to develop open-source large language models to compete with the likes of China’s DeepSeek, France’s Mistral and U.S-based Meta Platforms, according to two people with direct knowledge of the... Reflection AI, a one-year-old startup co-founded by former Google DeepMind researchers, is in...

A DeepSeek advertisement in a technology store in Hong Kong. Photo via Getty.

DeepSeek’s Progress Stalled by U.S. Export Controls

By Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Jun 26, 2025 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

A DeepSeek advertisement in a technology store in Hong Kong. Photo via Getty.

DeepSeek’s Progress Stalled by U.S. Export Controls

By Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Jun 26, 2025 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

The latest round of U.S. chip export controls may have curbed DeepSeek’s rise, at least for now. DeepSeek’s highly anticipated upcoming large language model, R2, may not be as quickly and extensively adopted in China as its predecessor, the wildly popular R1, due to a shortage of Nvidia server chips in the country, according to employees of... The latest round of U.S. chip export controls may have curbed DeepSeek’s rise, at least for now....

Art by Clark Miller.

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How DeepSeek Is Unlocking a New Wave of AI Ambition in China

By Qianer Liu · May 30, 2025 12:35pm PDT

The tightening of U.S. chip export controls on China has forced Chinese artificial intelligence developers such as DeepSeek to get creative, finding more efficient ways to train AI models on limited computing resources. And that creativity is likely to continue, according to two Chinese investors and startup founders who spoke at a subscriber... The tightening of U.S. chip export controls on China has forced Chinese artificial intelligence...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

DeepSeek, a National Treasure in China, is Now Being Closely Guarded

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Mar 14, 2025 6:51am PDT · 7 comments

DeepSeek’s sudden rise to global stardom has earned the startup a status akin to national treasure in China. One result is restrictions on how the company operates. In recent weeks, company executives have forbidden some of DeepSeek’s employees involved in the research and development of artificial intelligence models from traveling abroad... DeepSeek’s sudden rise to global stardom has earned the startup a status akin to national...