DeepSeek resumes $8 B funding round and invests $20.8 M in Unitree IPO

DeepSeek Unitree Robotics second‑round financing AI model partnership API price increase

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek announced two major moves in August 2026. It invested 140.8 million yuan (US$20.8 million) in robot maker Unitree Robotics as part of the company’s Shanghai STAR‑Market IPO, receiving 933,399 Unitree shares that represent about 2.31 % of the shares allocated through the strategic placement. The two Hangzhou‑based firms said they will combine DeepSeek’s AI‑model expertise with Unitree’s mechanical‑engineering and motion‑control capabilities to develop AI models for humanoid robots.

At the same time DeepSeek revived its second‑round financing, aiming to raise 500 billion RMB (roughly US$8 billion) at a pre‑money valuation of about 5 trillion RMB, a roughly 43 % increase over its first round. The round had been temporarily halted after a leaked meeting‑minutes document involving founder Liang Wenfeng, who expressed dissatisfaction with the leak. Signing of the financing agreements is expected in late August. DeepSeek also announced a substantial increase in its API service pricing, introducing a peak‑off‑peak billing model and raising overall rates to reflect higher compute costs.

Entities

DeepSeek · IDG Capital · Liang Wenfeng · National AI Industry Investment Fund · Shanghai STAR Market · Tencent · Unitree · Unitree Robotics

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[DISPUTED] The second round aims to raise 500 billion RMB. www.techritual.com · www.blocktempo.com · epaper.xkb.com.cn · www.epochtimes.com · www.pymnts.com · +1 more
[● 4 SOURCES] The second round was temporarily paused after the meeting‑minutes document was leaked. www.techritual.com · www.blocktempo.com · epaper.xkb.com.cn · www.epochtimes.com
[● 5 SOURCES] First‑round investors included Liang Wenfeng, Tencent, Ningde Times, NetEase, JD.com, Monolith 砺思资本, IDG Capital, 正心谷投资 and the National AI Industry Investment Fund. www.techritual.com · www.blocktempo.com · epaper.xkb.com.cn · www.epochtimes.com
[● 6 SOURCES] DeepSeek restarted its second round of financing. www.techritual.com · www.blocktempo.com · epaper.xkb.com.cn · www.epochtimes.com · www.pymnts.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Signing of the second‑round financing agreements is expected in late August. www.techritual.com · www.blocktempo.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Founder Liang Wenfeng expressed dissatisfaction over a leaked meeting‑minutes document. www.techritual.com · www.blocktempo.com
[DISPUTED] DeepSeek’s first round raised 500 billion RMB and gave a valuation of more than 3.5 trillion RMB. www.techritual.com · www.blocktempo.com
[DISPUTED] DeepSeek’s pre‑money valuation for the second round is about 5 trillion RMB. www.techritual.com · www.blocktempo.com
[● 2 SOURCES] DeepSeek announced a substantial increase in its API service pricing, introducing a peak‑off‑peak billing model. epaper.xkb.com.cn · www.epochtimes.com
[● 5 SOURCES] DeepSeek received 933,399 Unitree shares, representing about 2.31 % of the shares allocated through the IPO’s strategic placement. mix929.com · www.businesstimes.com.sg · wkzo.com · wsau.com · news.az
[● 5 SOURCES] DeepSeek and Unitree will jointly develop AI models for humanoid machines. mix929.com · www.businesstimes.com.sg · wkzo.com · wsau.com · news.az
[● 5 SOURCES] DeepSeek invested 140.8 million yuan ($20.8 million) in Unitree’s Shanghai IPO. mix929.com · www.businesstimes.com.sg · wkzo.com · wsau.com · news.az