Caixin

DeepSeek Launches New AI Model as Funding Rumors Spread

Published: Apr. 27, 2026  1:57 p.m.  GMT+8
00:00
00:00/00:00
Listen to this article 1x
Photo: IC Photo
Photo: IC Photo

Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek launched its highly anticipated V4 open-source foundational model on Friday, upping the ante in a race with global peers to develop a technology that underpins data centers and AI applications.

The DeepSeek-V4 model comes in Pro and Flash versions. The Pro version features 1.6 trillion total parameters with 49 billion active parameters, making it an open-weights model trained with the most parameters. The Flash version contains 284 billion total parameters with 13 billion active parameters to provide more cost-effective API services. Both versions support a context window of up to one million tokens.

loadingImg
You've accessed an article available only to subscribers
VIEW OPTIONS

Unlock exclusive discounts with a Caixin group subscription — ideal for teams and organizations.

Save an extra $50. Introductory offer for new readers. Subscribe now.

Share this article
Open WeChat and scan the QR code
DIGEST HUB
Digest Hub Back
Explore the story in 30 seconds
  • DeepSeek launched V4: Pro (1.6T total/49B active params), Flash (284B total/13B active); both support 1M token context.
  • V4 averages 63.87% accuracy in financial/legal/coding tests, trails rivals like Claude Opus 4.6 but matches top models in math/STEM/coding.
  • Optimizes compute by 70-90% vs V3.2; rumors of Tencent/Alibaba investment at >$20B valuation.
AI generated, for reference only
Who’s Who
DeepSeek
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, launched its V4 open-source model with Pro (1.6T total/49B active params) and Flash (284B/13B) versions, both supporting 1M-token context. It optimizes efficiency via Sparse Attention, excels in math/STEM/coding, but trails leaders like Claude Opus in benchmarks. Rumors swirl of $20B+ investment from Tencent/Alibaba. (62 words)
Moonshot AI
Moonshot AI is a rival to DeepSeek, with its Kimi K2.6 model outperforming DeepSeek-V4 in output speed and achieving higher average accuracy (above V4's 63.87%) across financial, legal, and coding tests per VALS AI data.
Zhipu AI
Zhipu AI is cited as a rival to DeepSeek, with models similar to DeepSeek-V4 that did not see V4 significantly outperform them, according to some developers.
VALS AI
VALS AI is a third-party AI model performance evaluation firm. It reported DeepSeek-V4's average accuracy rate of 63.87% across financial, legal, and coding tests, lagging behind Claude Opus 4.6, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, GPT-5.4, and Kimi K2.6.
Tencent Holdings Ltd.
Recent rumors suggest Tencent Holdings Ltd. is in talks with Alibaba to invest in DeepSeek at a valuation exceeding $20 billion, though terms may adjust.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
Recent rumors suggest Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is in talks with Tencent Holdings Ltd. to invest in DeepSeek at a valuation exceeding $20 billion, though amounts and valuations may adjust.
AI generated, for reference only
Subscribe to unlock Digest Hub
SUBSCRIBE NOW
NEWSLETTERS
Get our CX Daily, weekly Must-Read and China Green Bulletin newsletters delivered free to your inbox, bringing you China's top headlines.

We ‘ve added you to our subscriber list.

Manage subscription
PODCAST
China Business Uncovered Podcast: Inside Vanke and China’s Property Reckoning
00:00
00:00/00:00