The Sequence Radar #857: Last Week in AI: Inside the Machine, Outside the Text Box

Weekly AI Digest: May 6 - May 13, 2026

Key Highlights:

• DeepSeek Valuation Surge: DeepSeek is in talks for its first external venture round at a $45 billion valuation.
• SpaceX Semiconductor Plans: SpaceX plans to spend up to $119 billion on a multi-phase semiconductor and advanced computing fab in Texas.
• Ethos Series A Funding: London-based Ethos raised $22.75 million led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
• QuTwo Fundraising: Helsinki-based QuTwo raised €25M at an estimated €380M valuation to scale its AI orchestration layer.
• SAP Acquisition of Prior Labs: SAP is acquiring Prior Labs and investing €1 billion over four years to establish a European frontier AI lab for structured enterprise data.

Major News:

1. DeepSeek Targeting $45B Valuation:
   • DeepSeek, founded by Liang Wenfeng, is in talks with China’s state-backed China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund (the "Big Fund") and other investors like Tencent and Alibaba.
   • The funding round aims to issue employee equity

Read the full article at TheSequence

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