TechFlow News, April 25: According to Caijing Magazine, AI large-model company DeepSeek is in financing discussions with Tencent and Alibaba. The two investors are expected to collectively invest $1.8 billion, valuing the company at approximately $20 billion in this round. The transaction terms have not yet been finalized, and neither DeepSeek, Tencent, nor Alibaba has publicly confirmed the deal.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that DeepSeek’s decision to open this round of financing stems primarily from severe recent talent attrition. Several core researchers have successively departed, joining ByteDance, Tencent, Xiaomi, and autonomous-driving company Yunshu Technology. Meanwhile, competitors Zhipu AI and MiniMax have already listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and Moonshot AI secured three rounds of funding in the first quarter of this year, with its valuation more than quadrupling since year-end 2023.
Tencent’s and Alibaba’s investments in DeepSeek will help diversify risk across the AI sector while deepening collaboration between the parties at both the model and product levels.
