July 15 – Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek is reportedly preparing for a public listing that could take place in 2027, although the company may accelerate those plans and launch an initial public offering (IPO) as early as the end of this year.
According to Bloomberg, the AI developer is also seeking to raise approximately $1.5 billion in fresh funding at a valuation of around $71 billion, following a major capital raise completed just one month ago.
The company reportedly secured $7 billion in its first external funding round at an estimated $50 billion valuation, reflecting strong investor confidence in its rapid growth and technological progress.
Founded in 2023, DeepSeek quickly emerged as one of China’s leading AI companies after introducing large language models that attracted global attention for delivering high performance while requiring significantly lower computing resources and operating costs than many competing systems.
Its rapid adoption has continued across enterprise AI platforms. Data from AI infrastructure provider Vercel shows that in June, DeepSeek processed nearly 23% of all enterprise AI tokens routed through its gateway, placing it behind only Anthropic, which accounted for 32% of total usage.
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DeepSeek’s continued growth highlights the increasing competitiveness of Chinese open-source AI models despite ongoing U.S. export restrictions on advanced semiconductor technology.
The company’s cloud-based AI services operate using processors developed by Chinese technology giant Huawei Technologies, demonstrating China’s efforts to build a domestic AI ecosystem less dependent on foreign chip suppliers.
Bloomberg also reported that DeepSeek’s investors include Tencent and Beijing’s National Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund, underscoring strong backing from both private-sector and state-supported institutions.
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If completed, the proposed funding round and eventual public listing would further strengthen DeepSeek’s position as one of China’s most valuable artificial intelligence companies, as global competition in generative AI continues to intensify.
