The media reports that the startup Figure AI, which carries out activities for the development of humanoid robots, is currently in the process of raising funding for $675 million with a preliminary valuation of about $2 billion.
The investors of the mentioned firm are Jeff Bezos Explore Investments, Microsoft, Nvidia, and an Amazon-related fund. Other startup sponsors also include Intel Venture Capital unit, LG Innotek, Samsung Investment Group, Parkway Venture Capital, Align Ventures, ARK Venture Fund, Aliya Capital Partners, Tamarack, Boscolo Intervest, and BOLD Capital Partners.
OpenAI has been exploring the possibility of acquiring Figure AI. So far, no specific actions have been taken in the relevant direction.
The main goal of Figure AI’s activities is to create a humanoid robot. This development is called Figure 01. The robot can perform dangerous jobs. Also, in the future, Figure 01 will help eliminate the shortage of labor.
Currently, the use of artificial intelligence in the robotics industry is a kind of large-scale trend. In this sphere of activity, AI technologies are being adapted to solve problems that are of particular importance in the real world.
Other companies that specialize in the development of robots with artificial intelligence are 1X Technologies, Sanctuary AI, Tesla, and Agility Robotics.
The new funding round for Figure AI will take place about nine months after the previous one, during which the startup raised $70 million.
The company said that the funds it plans to receive will be used to support testing of early warehouse solutions. Figure AI intends to use robots in spheres of activity where there is a shortage of labor. In this case, it means sectors such as manufacturing, shipping and logistics, warehousing, and retail.
Brett Adcock, founder and CEO of Figure AI, says that the startup’s immediate goal is to deploy humanoids into the workforce. According to him, structured, repetitive, and often dangerous tasks in the warehouse are an excellent potential first use case.
As we have reported earlier, ElevenLabs Raises $80 Million for AI Projects.
