June 16, 2026

DeepSeek closes $7bn-plus round with an unusual structure

a room with a lot of chairs and tables in it
JIRAN FAMILY / Unsplash

DeepSeek, the Chinese AI lab that unsettled the industry with a cheap, capable model last year, has closed its first round of outside funding, raising roughly 50 billion yuan, about $7bn, in a deal whose structure is as notable as its size. The valua...