Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has begun preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) and has also opened early talks with new investors for another funding round.

The moves come only weeks after DeepSeek closed its first external round, signaling that investors are aggressively chasing top Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) plays.

DeepSeek Eyes IPO Filing This Year as It Sounds Out New Investors

According to Bloomberg, DeepSeek could file its IPO paperwork late this year or in early 2027. That timeline would clear the way for a debut next year.

The company is working with accounting and banking advisers. It wants to finish its financial report by the end of December.

The Hangzhou firm has also opened preliminary talks with new investors this week. The Financial Times reported that DeepSeek is seeking fresh funds in another round, targeting a pre-money valuation of about $71 billion.

That tops the roughly $50 billion figure from its first external round. That raise closed nearly a month ago and drew Tencent and battery maker CATL. Founder Liang Wenfeng put about $3 billion of his own money into it.

The rapid return to fundraising reflects DeepSeek’s expectation of higher spending ahead. The company plans to build its own data center and buy more AI chips. DeepSeek is also developing its own AI chip, which could cut reliance on Nvidia and Huawei, Reuters reported earlier this month.

Plans remain fluid, and both the IPO timing and the funding could shift. Much depends on market conditions and the company’s performance.

DeepSeek’s IPO push comes as US rivals move in the same direction. Anthropic and OpenAI both filed confidential IPO prospectuses in June. Anthropic said any offering would depend on market conditions and other factors, keeping the timing open.

OpenAI’s timeline looks less settled. CFO Sarah Friar floated the idea of waiting until 2027 to go public. She cited heavy cash burn, large compute commitments, and the burden of public reporting.

Source: BeInCrypto