DeepSeek is reportedly preparing to go public in Shanghai

DeepSeek has reportedly taken an important step toward becoming a publicly traded company.

The Chinese AI startup has hired CITIC Securities to prepare for a potential initial public offering on Shanghai's technology-focused STAR Market, according to Reuters.

Two people familiar with the matter said DeepSeek aims to begin the IPO process in 2026.

The timing, fundraising target and eventual IPO valuation have not yet been determined.

DeepSeek and CITIC had not publicly confirmed the plans at the time of the report.

Why DeepSeek may want public-market capital

Frontier AI has become extraordinarily expensive.

Leading model companies need growing amounts of compute, data center capacity and engineering talent to remain competitive.

DeepSeek is already raising additional private capital for those purposes.

Reuters previously reported that the company raised approximately $7.4 billion in June at a post-money valuation above $50 billion.

A current funding round could reportedly value DeepSeek at around 500 billion yuan, approximately $75 billion.

An IPO would give the company another route to financing that expansion.

DeepSeek's rise changed the AI market

DeepSeek gained global attention by producing highly competitive AI models while emphasizing efficiency and lower costs.

Its rise also intensified debate over China's ability to compete with US AI laboratories despite restrictions on access to some of the world's most advanced semiconductors.

The company is now moving into a different phase.

Going public would expose DeepSeek to greater financial disclosure requirements and public-market scrutiny while potentially giving it access to considerably more capital.

Other Chinese AI companies, including MiniMax and Z.AI, have already entered public markets.

DeepSeek could become the most closely watched listing of the group.

For now, however, this remains a reported IPO plan rather than a completed or formally announced offering.