DeepSeek prepares IPO and builds custom AI inference chips to cut Nvidia reliance

Chinese artificial‑intelligence company DeepSeek is moving toward a public listing, with plans to file an IPO filing by the end of the year or early next year and a possible listing on a Chinese exchange around 2027. Reports say the firm could be valued at up to $71 billion and is also seeking additional private‑equity funding.

At the same time DeepSeek has begun designing its own inference‑only AI chips. The in‑house ASICs are intended to run already‑trained large language models, reducing energy use and operating costs while eliminating dependence on NVIDIA GPUs and Huawei’s Ascend processors. The company is hiring hardware engineers and negotiating with semiconductor foundries, likely SMIC, after U.S. export controls limited access to advanced manufacturing. The effort mirrors a broader trend among Chinese AI firms to create independent chip supply chains, reshaping competition with established vendors such as NVIDIA.