Chinese AI Tigers on the Hunt: How News of DeepSeek’s IPO Shook the Market
Introduction: A Day of Triumph for Chinese Artificial Intelligence
Wednesday became the day when Chinese artificial intelligence stocks soared. Reports that major AI developer DeepSeek plans to conduct an initial public offering by the end of this year triggered a wave of optimism across the market. Zhipu AI shares jumped by nearly 9%, while MiniMax Group Inc. gained almost 15%.
DeepSeek, the undisputed leader of China’s group of so-called “AI Tigers,” is reportedly preparing to file for an IPO on Mainland China’s stock market later this year. The company is also raising private financing at a valuation of at least $71 billion, only a few weeks after securing $7 billion at a valuation of $50 billion.
In this article, we will examine what is driving this rally, assess the prospects of Chinese AI companies, and consider where the sector may be heading in the coming months.
DeepSeek: The Leader of Chinese AI
A Success Story
DeepSeek became a global leader in artificial intelligence after its R1 model gained worldwide recognition in early 2025. Since then, the company has released a series of updates and new models, including the V4 model family introduced in April.
According to the latest data, V4 ranked first among open-source AI models and has also demonstrated a growing number of requests through application programming interfaces, or APIs. These results further confirm DeepSeek’s leadership within the industry.
Preparing for an IPO
According to Bloomberg, DeepSeek is preparing to file for an IPO on Mainland China’s stock market later this year. The company is also raising private financing at a valuation of at least $71 billion.
This comes only a few weeks after the company raised $7 billion at a valuation of $50 billion. The sharp increase in valuation reflects strong investor interest in the company.
Impact on...
