DeepSeek generated about 475 million yuan (HK$513 million) in revenue during the first seven months of this year, representing roughly a tenfold jump from 2025 , tech publication The Information reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The company recorded a net loss of around 715 million yuan in the seven-month period, following a full-year net loss of 935 million yuan in 2025, according to the report.
DeepSeek is currently in talks with existing and potential investors to raise 50 billion yuan in a second funding round that would value the firm at 500 billion yuan, the report said.
The Information reported that DeepSeek posted an overall gross margin of 44.6 percent in the first seven months, while gross margin for its API model invocation services reached 82.9 percent.
By comparison, rival OpenAI generated US$5.7 billion (HK$44.69 billion) in revenue with a 39 percent gross margin in the first quarter, while Anthropic posted US$11.5 billion in second-quarter revenue and expects its full-year gross margin to rise from 40 percent in 2025 to 63 percent, the news outlet cited data as showing.
DeepSeek's annualized revenue run-rate had reached US$400 million to US$500 million, according to an earlier report.
The rapid top-line growth is expected to facilitate current fundraising talks and clear the path for a potential initial public offering, The Information reported, adding that the startup hired investment banks to prepare for a listing next year immediately after completing a 50-billion-yuan first round in June.
