DeepSeek Reportedly Raising $7.3B at $51.5B Valuation; V4.1 Debuts in June

DeepSeek is reportedly planning its first external funding round, targeting up to 50 billion RMB at a post-money valuation above 350 billion RMB.

Founder Liang Wenfeng is said to contribute 20 billion RMB, while the company seeks more compute, talent retention, and enterprise go-to-market support.

DeepSeek is also preparing a June release of V4.1, which is expected to add image, audio, enterprise, and MCP support.

The move could accelerate product and commercial expansion, but it also signals a shift away from the independence that helped fuel DeepSeek’s rapid technical rise.