Chinese DeepSeek seeks $71B valuation after $7B raise at $52B

Business Jul 14, 2026

DeepSeek, one of China's hottest AI startups, is kicking off talks for its second big funding round, this time aiming for a jaw-dropping $71 billion valuation.

In late May, it pulled in $7 billion at a $52 billion valuation, so things are moving fast.

The buzz started early last year when DeepSeek's V3 and R1 models got global attention, making it a national AI star and showing China's tech game is strong.

DeepSeek developing its own AI chip

To stay ahead in the global AI race, DeepSeek is developing its own AI chip to reduce reliance on suppliers like NVIDIA and Huawei.

If it pulls it off, it could be a major step toward making China more self-reliant (and keeping DeepSeek at the top of the leaderboard).