AI Funding Tracker: DeepSeek's $12B Round Tops Six Deals
AI funding tracker: six deals this period, led by DeepSeek's $12B round from Tencent and CATL, plus Moonshot AI, River AI, Nous and Firmus Grid.
The latest AI funding tracker covers six deals, topped by DeepSeek's $12 billion round, the period's largest raise. Tencent and CATL led that round, which comes ahead of an early-2027 IPO. The other five items span foundation models, robotics data and data center infrastructure, ranging from a $1.1 billion private-model raise down to a $90 million Series B.
| Date | Deal | Amount | Round | Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-04 | River AI $1.1 Billion Raise Backs Private Models Over Rented APIs | $1.1B | — | — |
| 2026-10-06 | DeepSeek Funding Round Tops $12 Billion, Led by Tencent and CATL | $12B | Ipo | — |
| 2026-10-07 | Moonshot AI Hong Kong IPO Looms as $50 Billion Private Round Closes | $50B | Ipo | $5B |
| 2026-10-08 | Nvidia, Microsoft and Samsung Back Nous Research Series B at $1.5B Valuation | $90M | Series B | $1.5B |
| 2026-10-08 | Firmus Grid IPO Repriced 25% Lower as AI Data Center Bets Face Public Market Test | — | Ipo | — |
| 2026-10-08 | Mecka AI Series B: $60M to Scale the Robot Motion Data Layer | $60M | Series B | — |
Three of the six stories turn on scale and exit timing rather than early-stage bets. DeepSeek's round will test how concentrated China's AI capital has become. Moonshot AI closed a private round at a $50 billion valuation, targeting roughly $5 billion and a Hong Kong listing in the first quarter of 2027. Firmus Grid moved the other way: its IPO was repriced 25% lower to A$8.25 a share, a discount that reflected doubts about AI data center economics and thin operating capacity.
Compute and Data Deals Draw Repeat Backers
Smaller rounds in this AI funding tracker attracted the same strategic investors. Nous Research raised $90 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, led by Robot Ventures, with Nvidia, Microsoft and Samsung backing its Hermes Agent enterprise push. Mecka AI raised $60 million led by Sequoia, with Nvidia, Microsoft's M12, Qualcomm Ventures and Samsung funding its robot motion data layer. Nvidia, Microsoft and Samsung appear in both deals, a pattern of chip and cloud vendors taking positions in data and agent layers rather than only model labs.
The period's second-largest raise went to River AI, which drew $1.1 billion on a bet that enterprises will train private models on their own data instead of renting APIs. That thesis runs against the usage-based pricing most model vendors depend on, and it puts River AI in direct competition with the API-first platforms covered in the same period.
Where the AI Funding Tracker Points Next
Two of the six deals carry dated milestones: DeepSeek's early-2027 IPO and Moonshot AI's first-quarter 2027 Hong Kong listing, both of which will show whether this period's private valuations survive public market scrutiny. Firmus Grid's repriced debut already indicates the discount investors will apply to AI infrastructure names with thin operating capacity.
Related Articles
- DeepSeek Funding Round Tops $12 Billion, Led by Tencent and CATL
- DeepSeek Funding Nears $7.4 Billion Record with Tencent and CATL Support
- DeepSeek Targets $45 Billion Valuation in $10 Billion Funding Round
✔Human Verified
Researched and cross-referenced against primary sources by the Bytevyte editorial team. This article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the Bytevyte editorial team.