With the meteoric rise of AI in recent years, robotics has naturally followed suit. And now a new partnership between two giants is set to become a milestone, especially Nvidia.
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, Nvidia and other tech majors are investing in startup Figure AI, which specializes in developing humanoid robots, according to a report by Bloomberg News. This startup, which is also backed by OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, and Microsoft, is raising about $675 million in a funding round, with the company being valued at about $2 billion before the investment.
Nvidia and Amazon, hand in hand
As Reuters reports, Bezos has committed $100 million through his company Explore Investments LLC, while Microsoft is investing $95 million. Nvidia and an Amazon-affiliated fund are each contributing $50 million. These investments come as AI startups gain attention following the launch of OpenAI’s viral chatbot ChatGPT in November 2022, and investors are betting on the potential of these startups to overtake the biggest players in the market.
OpenAI, which had previously considered acquiring Figure, is investing $5 million. Other backers include LG Innotek, Samsung’s investment group, and venture capital firms Parkway Venture Capital and Align Ventures. The startup’s investors also include ARK Venture Fund, Aliya Capital Partners and Tamarack.
Sunnyvale, California-based Figure develops versatile humanoid robots that can operate in different environments and perform a variety of tasks, from warehouse to retail. Last year, the startup raised $70 million in its first external funding round from investors led by Parkway Venture Capital.
With Figure AI and Tesla working on their respective humanoid robots like Optimus, the future of robotics looks bright. Creepy or not, we’ll let you be the judge. What do you also think about these massive investments?
