# Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. are in discussions to join a maiden round of financing for Chinese AI pioneer DeepSeek.

*genai · news · 2026-04-23 · The Hindu Business Line*

## Key points

- Tencent has proposed acquiring up to a 20% stake in DeepSeek, but DeepSeek resists ceding so much control.
- DeepSeek's benchmark valuation references MiniMax Group Inc., estimated at around $40 billion.
- DeepSeek released a breakthrough AI model in January 2025 with performance rivaling US competitors.
- DeepSeek differentiates itself by releasing low-cost, open source AI models unlike OpenAI and Anthropic.
- Alibaba reorganized its AI operations into a single unit and recently launched a model for 3D environments.

**Companies:** Tencent Holdings Ltd., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., DeepSeek, MiniMax Group Inc., Moonshot
**Countries:** China

[Read the full story on The Hindu Business Line](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/tencent-alibaba-in-talks-to-join-deepseeks-first-funding-round/article70895723.ece)

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