TechCrunch·May 6, 2026

🚀DeepSeek Seeks $45B Valuation in VC Talks

Chinese AI Startup DeepSeek Eyes Massive Funding Round

TL;DR

DeepSeek is in talks to raise venture capital at a valuation of up to $45 billion, aiming to rival big U.S. models like OpenAI's while using less compute power and cost.

DeepSeek is reportedly in discussions for its first round of venture capital funding with a potential valuation soaring from $20B to $45B in just weeks. The Chinese AI lab has managed to keep pace with top-tier U.S. models like OpenAI's and Anthropic's, despite using significantly less compute power and cost. This makes DeepSeek a formidable player in the global AI race, especially as it optimizes its technology for Huawei chips, potentially sidestepping reliance on U.S. tech. Developers should watch how this impacts the broader ecosystem of open-source models like those available on Hugging Face.

DeepSeek Seeks $45B Valuation in VC Talks

Key Points

1

DeepSeek's potential valuation has skyrocketed from $20 billion to $45 billion within weeks.

2

The Chinese lab matches top models like OpenAI's in reasoning and coding, using a fraction of the resources.

3

Versions of DeepSeek's models are freely available on Hugging Face for developers to experiment with.

4

DeepSeek is led by a Chinese hedge fund billionaire controlling nearly 90% of the company.

5

Huawei Technologies' chips are optimized for DeepSeek's technology, aiming to reduce reliance on U.S. tech.

Why It Matters

If you're working with open-source AI models like those on Hugging Face, DeepSeek's efficiency and performance could redefine what's possible with less compute power. The potential $45B valuation signals a major shift in the global AI landscape, pushing U.S. dominance into question.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this matter?

If you're working with open-source AI models like those on Hugging Face, DeepSeek's efficiency and performance could redefine what's possible with less compute power. The potential $45B valuation signals a major shift in the global AI landscape, pushing U.S. dominance into question.

What happened?

DeepSeek is in talks to raise venture capital at a valuation of up to $45 billion, aiming to rival big U.S. models like OpenAI's while using less compute power and cost.

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