China's Moonshot AI targets Q1 2027 IPO at $50B valuation - report

Beijing-based AI developers Moonshot AI and DeepSeek are moving towards public markets, with Moonshot AI preparing for a Hong Kong IPO and DeepSeek seeking capital from investors. Moonshot AI, the creator of the Kimi chatbot, recently valued its company at $50 billion, up from $31.5 billion in a private funding round this summer.

The company is targeting a Hong Kong IPO in the first quarter of 2027, with the potential to raise up to $5 billion. Bank of America is coordinating the deal, alongside China International Capital Corp, Deutsche Bank, and Goldman Sachs. Moonshot AI's annual recurring revenue has grown from $300 million in June to about $1 billion, expected to reach $2 billion by December.

Founded by Tsinghua University graduate Yang Zhilin, Moonshot AI has received backing from Alibaba and WeChat operator Tencent. Meanwhile, DeepSeek is close to securing at least 80 billion yuan in a round with Tencent and CATL, potentially reaching 100 billion yuan. The start-up's low-cost R1 model attracted significant attention in January 2025, causing a $600 billion decrease in Nvidia's market value.

DeepSeek has also partnered with Huawei to develop programming tools for China's Ascend AI chips. Both companies are under investigation by China's Cyberspace Administration over data routing concerns.