Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is exploring another funding round, barely a month after completing its first-ever external fundraising. According to a Financial Times report, DeepSeek has begun preliminary discussions with potential investors for a new funding round that could value the company at about $71 billion before the investment, marking a sharp rise from the roughly $52 billion post-money valuation it secured after raising nearly $7 billion in late May. The fresh capital is expected to support expansion plans, particularly the construction of proprietary data centers and the purchase of additional AI processors. DeepSeek also builds AI chips for the inference stage and intends to reduce its dependence on foreign hardware. The startup has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most-watched Chinese AI startups due to the attention and appreciation of V3 and R1 models.