DeepSeek Resumes $8B Funding, V4-Pro Specs Leak
DeepSeek is reportedly advancing a new large-scale funding round, with investor materials leaked online revealing its capital needs and key specs for the next-gen model V4-Pro. Multiple sources say the round has resumed, seeking $8B (or ¥50B) at a pre-money valuation of ¥500B (or $74B per Polymarket), with signing expected in late August. The leaked memo claims V4-Pro trails Anthropic's flagship by only 0.3% in coding, supports 1M-token context, costs 1/50th the price, and is adapted for Ascend. Polymarket traders see a 72% chance of IPO by 2027, but nothing is officially confirmed. If true, this would be one of the largest and highest-valued AI funding rounds, and V4-Pro's cost-performance and domestic chip adaptation could disrupt the current top-tier model landscape.
Confirmed
- Funding progress and size: Multiple sources report DeepSeek has resumed its second round, paused earlier due to a leaked recording of founder Liang Wenfeng's meeting. The round seeks $8B (or ¥50B) at a pre-money valuation of ¥500B (or $74B per Polymarket), with signing expected in late August.
- Use of funds: Primarily for data center construction, expansion of 10K-GPU clusters, and R&D of next-gen omni-modal models.
- V4-Pro specs: The leaked memo claims V4-Pro will be top-tier globally, trailing Anthropic's flagship by only 0.3% in coding, supporting 1M-token context, priced at 1/50th of Anthropic's flagship, and adapted for Ascend.
Unconfirmed
- IPO timeline: Polymarket data shows traders assign a 72% probability of IPO by end-2027, but this is market speculation, not official.
- Material authenticity: The leaked documents are unsigned, and data has not been officially confirmed.
Why it matters
If true, this would be one of the largest and highest-valued AI funding rounds. The leaked V4-Pro specs suggest extreme cost-performance and domestic chip adaptation, which could disrupt the current top-tier model market if realized.
2026-08-06 ~ 2026-08-07 · 8 related posts
- Episode 1: DeepSeek's Low Pricing Sparks Debate, Developers Question Rivals' Markups(2026-08-02, 5 posts)
- Episode 2: DeepSeek Resumes $8B Funding, V4-Pro Specs Leak(2026-08-06, 8 posts)
- Episode 3: DeepSeek Announces Significant API Price Hike, Signaling End of Low-Cost Era(2026-08-06, 25 posts)
- Episode 4: Developer Analysis Shows Rented GPUs Can Cover DeepSeek API Costs(2026-08-07, 2 posts)
- Episode 5: DeepSeek Raises API Prices Up to 1100%, Shifts to Peak-Hour Billing(2026-08-14, 2 posts)
Primary sources
- DeepSeek Reopens Funding at $70B Valuation, Google Reorgs AI Leadership — APPSO · 2026-08-06
- DeepSeek Resumes Funding at $70B Valuation, AI Sector Sees Major Security & Personnel Shifts — 创业邦 · 2026-08-06
- [source] Report: DeepSeek Seeks $8B Funding at $74B Valuation — Polymarket · 2026-08-06
- Polymarket Traders Bet 72% Chance on DeepSeek IPO by End of 2027 — Polymarket · 2026-08-06
- [source] DeepSeek Funding Docs Leaked: V4-Pro Matches Claude, Runs on Ascend — xiaohu · 2026-08-06
- DeepSeek Resumes $8B Funding Round for Datacenter Buildout — scaling01 · 2026-08-07
- Leaked DeepSeek V4-Pro Materials Reveal Coding Performance Near Claude at 1/50th the Price — ccerrato147 · 2026-08-07
- [source] DeepSeek Seeks $8B Funding, V4 Pro Reportedly Just 0.3% Behind Claude in Coding — imjustnewatai · 2026-08-07