BEIJING, April 24 (Reuters) - DeepSeek, the Chinese

artificial intelligence startup whose low-cost model stunned the

world last year, launched a preview of its highly anticipated

new model, the V4, on Friday.

The pro version of V4 outperforms other open-source models

in world-knowledge benchmarks, trailing only Google's

Gemini-Pro-3.1 which is a closed-source model, DeepSeek said.

The V4 also comes in a lower-cost flash version. The preview

versions allow the company to incorporate real-world feedback.

DeepSeek did not provide a timeline for when the model is

expected to be finalised.

Owned by China's High-Flyer Capital Management, DeepSeek is

aiming to raise funds at a valuation exceeding $20 billion,

​according to a report by The Information this month, which also

said that tech giants Alibaba ( BABA ) and Tencent ( TCTZF )

were in discussions to take stakes.

DeepSeek has been the subject of much controversy, accused

by Washington and U.S. rivals of improper and illegal behaviour

several times.

On Thursday, the White House accused China of stealing U.S.

AI labs' intellectual property on an industrial scale,

threatening to strain relations ahead of a summit between U.S.

and Chinese leaders next month.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it opposes "the

baseless allegations," adding that Beijing "attaches great

importance to the protection of intellectual property rights."