DeepSeek's Deep Pockets: $12B and a Huawei-Powered Future

DeepSeek on the verge of raising $12B, valuation hits $75B

Reflection AI's Beam aims to close Western gap with China's open models

Google locks Gemini Pro behind $19.99 subscription

A Eye on AI - 12:30 PM

DeepSeek raises a massive funding round that could hit $15 billion, setting up a 2027 IPO and a giant Huawei-powered data center in Inner Mongolia. Reflection AI's new open-weight Beam model, backed by Nvidia and the Trump administration, challenges China's GLM-5.2. Google restructures Gemini on October 9th, putting Pro and Deep Think behind pricier tiers. The one-day barrage of model releases from Xiaomi, Anthropic, and OpenAI highlights the frantic pace of AI development. Plus, Pinterest's Beauty Guides use AI to turn saved inspiration into salon-ready plans with costs and maintenance tips. A look at the US-China AI race, funding battles, and consumer impacts.

Sources:

- koreajoongangdaily.com: https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/opinion/in-the-ai-era-humanities-will-determine-the-victor/12907558

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/ai-models-are-misbehaving-but-america-still-wont-slow-down-china-is-a-big-reason-why/articleshow/134743061.cms

- ground.news: https://ground.news/article/scoop-a-powerful-new-model-from-startup-reflection-is-set-to-shake-up-the-ai-race

- justsecurity.org: https://www.justsecurity.org/159607/fear-of-chinas-ai-is-the-new-missile-gap/

- qz.com: https://qz.com/deepseek-funding-round-tencent-catl-ipo-100626

- binance.com: https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/374265739836964