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.

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