Key facts
- Jeff Bezos's AI startup Prometheus has raised $12 billion in a new funding round.
- The startup is now valued at $41 billion and employs 150 people.
- Prometheus aims to develop 'physical AI' and an 'artificial general engineer'.
- The company's goal is to accelerate invention and create 'civilizational wealth'.
- Bezos is also co-CEO of Prometheus and is reportedly seeking a $100 billion fund for related ventures.
Jeff Bezos is set to attend Paris' Vivatech trade fair, where he will discuss innovation and humanity's future. This comes as his AI startup, Prometheus, has secured a significant new round of funding. The startup, which focuses on 'physical AI'—applying deep learning to robotics and manufacturing—has raised $12 billion, adding to an initial $6.2 billion from last year. This brings Prometheus's total funding to $18.2 billion and values the company at $41 billion. Investors include JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, and Bezos himself. The company currently employs 150 people and plans to use the substantial funding for compute-intensive operations. Bezos stated that Prometheus aims to create an 'artificial general engineer' to accelerate the invention loop, ultimately generating 'civilizational wealth'. Co-founder Vik Bajaj described the goal as arming engineers with better tools to speed up the design of complex technologies. Reports also indicate Bezos and Bajaj are seeking to raise a $100 billion investment fund for companies that could leverage Prometheus's future innovations, potentially including Bezos's other ventures like Blue Origin. While specific products have not yet been announced, Prometheus's substantial funding gives it a significant advantage over competitors in the physical AI space.