Chinese AI lab DeepSeek is in talks to raise its first venture‑capital round, aiming for a valuation that could climb from $20 billion to $45 billion. Founder Liang Wenfeng, who controls about 90% of the company, is turning to investors after rival firms began poaching key researchers. The round is expected to be led by the state‑backed China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, with cloud giants Tencent and Alibaba reportedly considering participation. DeepSeek’s efficient large‑language model runs on Huawei chips, positioning it as a strategic asset in Beijing’s push for AI independence. Read more →