Alibaba Group has expressed interest in investing in Chinese artificial intelligence chatbot DeepSeek, The Information reported on Wednesday, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.
According to the report, DeepSeek is considering outside fundraising for the first time as its growing popularity has boosted the number of users, leading to the increased need for new AI chips and servers. Besides Alibaba, Chinese state-affiliated funds, including the China Investment Corp. and the National Social Security Fund, also voiced interest in investing in DeepSeek, one of the sources told the media outlet.
DeepSeek has so far managed to refrain from raising outside funds in order to avoid being under pressure from investors to commercialize its products too quickly. In addition, raising money from a major Chinese investor could boost United States concerns, which may lead to suspension or limitation of DeepSeek's business opportunities in the US.
