Battery giant CATL is reportedly planning to invest in Chinese AI startup DeepSeek. The startup aims to raise approximately 50 billion yuan ($7.36 billion) in its latest funding round. This capital injection could value DeepSeek at more than 350 billion yuan. Tech leaders JD.com and NetEase are also reportedly in talks to join the round.
The investment marks CATL’s strategic entry into the AI infrastructure market. The company intends to supply power equipment, including backup batteries and energy storage systems, to data centers. This venture targets the massive energy demands generated by advanced AI computing power.