DeepSeek Opens Second Round Talks at $71B Pre-Money, Plots Mainland IPO Filing This YearDeepSeek以710亿美元投前估值启动第二轮融资，同步推进A股IPO申报

DeepSeek has begun preliminary conversations with new investors about a second fundraising round that would value the company at approximately $71 billion before the deal, according to the Financial Times and Bloomberg, both reporting on Wednesday July 22. That figure is roughly $19 billion above the pre-money level implied by its maiden $7 billion round, which closed around end-May at a $52 billion post-money valuation.

Simultaneously, the company has engaged accounting and banking advisors and is targeting a mainland IPO filing before end-2026, with an actual exchange debut pencilled in for 2027. Bloomberg reported the Hangzhou lab is eyeing the A-share market, not Hong Kong.

The capital push coincides with Reuters' earlier July 7 exclusive that DeepSeek is quietly developing its own inference-focused AI chip — holding discussions with chip-design firms, foundries, and memory suppliers — while also hiring chip-design engineers without public job postings. The two moves together signal a structural shift: DeepSeek is transitioning from a research lab funded by a hedge fund into a vertically integrated, publicly listed AI company.