{
  "id": 12314449,
  "title": "DeepSeek to raise at least $12 billion in Tencent-backed funding",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/deepseek-to-raise-at-least-12-billion-in-tencent-backed-funding-12314449",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-06T06:11:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Economic Times Tech",
    "slug": "economic-times-tech",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/deepseek-to-raise-at-least-12-billion-in-tencent-backed-funding/articleshow/134725196.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is close to securing at least 80 billion yuan, or $11.93 billion, in its latest round of funding. According to The Business Times, the company initially sought 50 billion yuan but interest outstripped expectations after the successful release of its latest AI model.\n\nThe funding round is backed by Tencent Holdings and battery pioneer Contemporary Amperex Technology, with the final tally potentially approaching 100 billion yuan, as reported by The Business Times. This sets the stage for one of the most highly anticipated Chinese market debuts in years, with DeepSeek riding high after the release of its V4 Flash model.\n\nDeepSeek's V4 model has been praised for its performance, comparable to advanced models from OpenAI and Anthropic, while operating at a fraction of their costs. The company, founded by Liang Wenfeng, has forged a reputation for technical breakthroughs, including a 2025 model that matched the capabilities of Silicon Valley offerings at a lower cost, as per The Business Times.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "OpenAI in talks with UAE funds to anchor $30 bln funding round - Bloomberg",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/openai-in-talks-with-uae-funds-to-anchor-30-bln-funding-round",
        "published": "2026-10-06T00:24:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Techmeme",
        "title": "Sources: Moonshot AI closes its final private funding round at a ~$50B valuation and is targeting a Hong Kong IPO in Q1 2027 to raise up to $5B (Bloomberg)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/sources-moonshot-ai-closes-its-final-private-funding-round-at-a-50b",
        "published": "2026-10-06T03:10:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Seeking Alpha News",
        "title": "OpenAI is said to be in $30B round talks with UAE funds, BlackRock",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/openai-is-said-to-be-in-30b-round-talks-with-uae-funds-blackrock",
        "published": "2026-10-06T04:03:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "DeepSeek to raise at least $12 billion in Tencent-backed funding, Bloomberg News reports",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/deepseek-to-raise-at-least-12-billion-in-tencent-backed-funding",
        "published": "2026-10-06T05:27:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "DeepSeek to raise at least $12 billion in Tencent-backed funding, Bloomberg News reports",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/deepseek-to-raise-at-least-12-billion-in-tencent-backed-funding-12309625",
        "published": "2026-10-06T05:41:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Business Times - Companies & Markets",
        "title": "DeepSeek to raise at least US$12 billion in Tencent-backed funding",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/deepseek-to-raise-at-least-us-12-billion-in-tencent-backed-funding",
        "published": "2026-10-06T05:49:36.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Straits Times Business",
        "title": "DeepSeek set to raise at least $15 billion in Tencent-backed funding",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/deepseek-set-to-raise-at-least-15-billion-in-tencent-backed-funding",
        "published": "2026-10-06T06:02:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}