GreenergyDaily

Jun. 3, 2026

DeepSeek, China's best-known AI startup, is set to raise about 50 billion yuan in its first external funding round.

The fundraising could value DeepSeek at between 350 billion yuan and 400 billion yuan, Reuters reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Investors are expected to include Tencent Holdings and CATL.

Founder Liang Wenfeng has committed 20 billion yuan of his own money to the round, while Tencent is considering an investment of 10 billion yuan and CATL 5 billion yuan, according to the people. If completed, Tencent and CATL would become DeepSeek's largest external investors.

CATL, best known as a dominant supplier in the electric vehicle battery supply chain, has recently expanded into AI data centres, exploring opportunities in power equipment and energy storage.

DeepSeek is expected to complete the funding round within the next few weeks, although the financial details and investor lineup could still change, according to the people.