waico

PRC AI Watch: DeepSeek Closes $7.4B Round with Beijing Holding the Only Vote

By Bob Gourley and James Blackwood June 18, 2026 6 min read Ai frontier

DeepSeek closes a $7.4 billion round structured to give Beijing's state AI fund the only voting rights; China announces a July deadline for WAICO's institutional launch; Chinese open-weight models cross U.S. global download share for the first time.

PRC AI Watch: China's Open-Weight Models Now Set Global Benchmarks While Beijing Rewrites the Rules

By Bob Gourley and James Blackwood June 17, 2026 6 min read Ai frontier

China's AI labs now lead open-weight benchmarks globally as Beijing simultaneously advances WAICO to reshape international AI governance norms — a coordinated two-track strategy with direct implications for U.S. technology leadership.