CATL plans to invest in DeepSeek, valuation could hit 350 billion yuan

Sources say CATL is planning to join DeepSeek's funding round, which could wrap up as early as June. DeepSeek aims to raise about 50 billion yuan in its first round, pushing its valuation past 350 billion yuan.

JD.com and NetEase are also in talks to invest, though nothing is final yet. Tencent and Alibaba were earlier reported to be interested. DeepSeek has promised investors it will keep focusing on open-source AI models instead of chasing short-term profits.