Chinese ⁠AI startup DeepSeek is expected to launch its next-generation AI model V4, featuring strong coding capabilities, in mid-February, The Information reported Friday citing people ‍familiar with the matter.

Internal ‍tests by DeepSeek employees suggested V4 could outperform rivals such as Anthropic's ⁠Claude and OpenAI's GPT series in coding tasks, the report said.

The latest V4 model ​has also made breakthroughs in handling and processing extremely long coding prompts, a potential advantage for ‍developers working on complex software projects, the Information added.

Reuters ⁠could not immediately verify the report. DeepSeek did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Hangzhou-based startup DeepSeek has emerged as ⁠a key player in ​China's push ⁠to build its own AI ecosystem and bolster ‍the domestic chip sector, drawing global attention after Silicon Valley executives ‌praised its DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1 models.

Reuters previously reported that the Chinese artificial intelligence startup, which said ⁠in ​January it had ‍built a low-cost rival to ChatGPT, has faced scrutiny in some countries over ‍its security and privacy practices.