DeepSeek Completes $7.5 Billion First Funding Round, Setting China AI Record

Chinese large language model startup DeepSeek has closed its first external funding round of approximately 51 billion yuan ($7.5 billion), with a post-money valuation nearing 400 billion yuan—the largest single-round financing in China's AI history. Founder Liang Wenfeng personally contributed 20 billion yuan as the largest investor, joined by Tencent with ~10 billion yuan, CATL, NetEase, JD.com, the National AI Industry Fund, and IDG Capital. The deal uses a special structure: capital flows into a limited partnership managed by Liang, with investors accepting a five-year lockup and no voting rights to preserve the founder's absolute control. Market observers expect the funding will accelerate model iteration and compute infrastructure buildout, establishing DeepSeek as a major player in the global AI landscape.

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