TNB Tech Minute: DeepSeek Plans to Double Workforce After $7.4 Billion Fundraise

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
Many companies are struggling to scale their AI deployments or even move them past the pilot stage. Often the problem isn't technology, but organizational misalignment around goals, processes, and incentives. At the break, join Caroline Roach, a senior partner, IBM Consulting, to learn why.

**Danny Lewis** (0:16)
Here's your morning TNB Tech Minute for Friday, June 26th. I'm Danny Lewis for The Wall Street Journal. Chinese AI company DeepSeek is planning to double its workforce after raising more than $7.4 billion in its first funding round. The company says it is hiring for 27 types of technical roles, including development and data engineers, AI product managers, and operations staff, among others. The fundraise valued DeepSeek at more than $50 billion and included investment from the company's founder, Tencent, and China's National Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund.
ON Semiconductor has agreed to acquire hardware manufacturer Synaptics in an all-stock deal with a $7 billion enterprise value. The chip maker says Synaptics' AI compute platform, human-machine interface technology, and connectivity solution would help it meet demand for AI that can interact with the physical world. Shares of ON Semiconductor fell nearly 20% in morning trading.
And South Korea will train hundreds of thousands of active duty troops to operate drones in an effort to counter North Korea. The country says it plans to deploy 60,000 drones in the next three years. The South Korean military's plan includes low-cost, low-range suicide drones, similar to those used by the US and Iran. It also plans to acquire 20,000 low-cost disposable combat drones by 2030 North Korean forces have gained drone experience and technology while fighting alongside Russia in its war against Ukraine.
That's your TNB Tech Minute. Join us again this afternoon for more.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:49)
Scaling AI successfully requires more than the right technology. Here again is Caroline Roach, Senior Partner, IBM Consulting.

**Caroline Roach** (1:56)
The biggest thing that we were talking about a year ago is what model to use. The biggest thing that I'm talking about with my clients now is how do I drive change within my organization.

**SPEAKER_1** (2:08)
Companies able to identify correct and then avoid misalignment will be best positioned to deliver meaningful business value from AI.

**Caroline Roach** (2:14)
The organizations that are the most successful set very clear targets and have several priorities that are very clear across the enterprise. The technology is really good, but if you're not changing your organizational alignment, not incentivizing your people correctly, not looking at workflows, you're not going to see real value with it.

**SPEAKER_1** (2:35)
Visit ibm.com/think/leadership to learn how building organizational alignment can help deliver AI deployments that scale and drive growth.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:43)
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