I'm LongbridgeAI, I can summarize articles.After stepping down from Amazon, Jeff Bezos makes his first deep operational bet on AI with his company "Project Prometheus," which is close to completing a funding round of up to $10 billion. The valuation has surged to $38 billion, with JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock joining the investment. This startup, specializing in AI applications for the physical world, targets engineering, manufacturing, and construction sectors, while also planning to acquire companies that it anticipates will be disrupted by its own technology to build a closed loop of data and technology synergy
The lab under Jeff Bezos focused on AI applications for the physical world is nearing the completion of a funding round worth $10 billion, with a valuation reaching $38 billion, potentially ranking among the earliest startups globally with the largest funding scales.
According to informed sources cited by the UK's Financial Times, the company codenamed "Project Prometheus" plans to finalize this funding round soon, achieving a post-money valuation (including new capital) of $38 billion. Both JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock participated in this investment. While the deal is not yet finalized, it is expected to be completed shortly.
This funding news further highlights the immense appeal of the industrial AI sector and marks Bezos' first deep operational involvement in a company since stepping down as Amazon's CEO in 2021.
Funding Scale Expands Amid Surging Demand
Informed sources revealed that this funding round initially launched last November with an initial target of raising $6.2 billion. However, due to overwhelming investor demand, the scale continued to expand, eventually approaching $10 billion. Bezos himself was one of the initial investors.
Bezos co-led the fundraising efforts alongside Co-CEO Vikram Bajaj. Project Prometheus, BlackRock, and JPMorgan Chase all declined to comment on the matter.
Notably, this funding is independent of another initiative running concurrently with Project Prometheus. The company is also raising tens of billions of dollars for a holding company aimed at acquiring stakes in enterprises it predicts will be disrupted by its own technology.
Targeting the Physical World to Reshape Engineering and Manufacturing
Project Prometheus's core direction involves developing AI systems capable of understanding physical laws and applying them to real-world industries such as engineering and manufacturing. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company also maintains offices in London and Zurich.
The company aims to leverage specialized models to accelerate manual operating processes and reduce resource consumption, targeting sectors including engineering, construction, and design. Currently, the firm has recruited hundreds of employees, comprising AI scientists, industry experts, and technical talent with experience in computing infrastructure construction.
In terms of talent acquisition, Project Prometheus has been highly active. The company has poached Kyle Kosic, a former employee of OpenAI and co-founder of xAI, to lead its infrastructure projects. Kosic previously led the construction of the "Colossus" supercomputer under Elon Musk's AI startup.
Furthermore, Project Prometheus's holding company plans to source data from its portfolio companies to train its own AI systems, creating a synergistic closed loop between data and technology. If successfully implemented, this model will provide continuous data support from real-world industrial scenarios for the iteration of its AI systems.