DeepSeek's recent funding round has directly multiplied its valuation several times; with the open-source approach proven successful, capital is starting to cast votes with their feet.

DeepSeek is planning its first external funding round, with a target valuation of over ten billion dollars, marking its shift from self-driven development to introducing external capital. If achieved, the valuation will jump from approximately 3.4 billion dollars to several times higher. Its rise is driven by low-cost, high-performance open-source large models, with training costs significantly below industry averages and performance comparable to top U.S. models, currently promoting global expansion and reshaping China's competitive landscape in the AI field.