DeepSeek Launches Official V4 Pro Model
Synopsis
DeepSeek has officially launched its V4 Pro model through its API, app and web channels as it steps up competition with Chinese AI rivals.
Key Highlights
- DeepSeek has officially launched its V4 Pro model.
- Users can access the model through DeepSeek’s API, app and web platforms.
- API prices for both V4 Pro and V4 Flash are set to increase.
- The company is ramping up hiring, computing resources and fundraising efforts.
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek officially launched its V4 Pro model on Thursday as it looks to strengthen its position in the increasingly competitive domestic AI market.
DeepSeek said the V4-Pro-0813 version comes with improved agent capabilities and is available through its API, app and web platforms.
The company will also raise API prices for its V4 Pro and V4 Flash models while introducing separate peak and off-peak pricing.
DeepSeek Faces Growing Competition
The launch follows independent tests in which DeepSeek’s cheaper V4 Flash model reportedly performed better than an April preview version of V4 Pro.
DeepSeek became one of China’s most closely watched AI companies after its R1 model attracted worldwide attention in early 2025. The model showed that powerful AI systems could potentially be developed at a much lower cost than those offered by US competitors.
Since then, however, DeepSeek has faced increasing competition from Chinese AI companies such as Moonshot AI, Zhipu AI, MiniMax, Alibaba and ByteDance.
Company Expands Investment
DeepSeek is also looking to turn the popularity of its AI models into a much larger business.
Reuters reported in July that the company was considering a fundraising round at a valuation of around $74 billion. This would follow its first external funding round of approximately $7.4 billion in June.
The company plans to at least double its workforce across various departments, including data-centre operations and AI-agent teams.
DeepSeek has also stepped up private recruitment of chip-design engineers as it works to develop its own AI chips. Building its own chips could help the company reduce its dependence on suppliers such as Nvidia and Huawei.
Source: Reuters
At Inspirepreneurs Magazine, covering entrepreneurship, business failures, and the human stories behind the world's most ambitious founders. She writes at the intersection of strategy and storytelling.
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