Prometheus, the physical‑AI startup founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former Verily co‑founder Vik Bajaj, closed a $12 billion financing round that pushes its valuation to $41 billion, according to a company statement released on Monday. The new capital came from a consortium that includes Bezos, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, among other investors.
The infusion follows an earlier $6.2 billion raise that launched the company late last year. With the latest money, Prometheus plans to scale the compute infrastructure needed to develop its flagship product: an “artificial general engineer.” The software aims to automate the design and manufacturing of complex physical systems, ranging from jet engines to drug compounds. Bezos described the ambition as a way to replace large swaths of traditional engineering work with AI‑driven processes.
In an interview with CNBC, Bezos warned that the productivity gains from such technology could create what he calls “labor scarcity,” a scenario where demand for human workers outpaces supply. He contrasted his view with other tech leaders who predict mass job losses, insisting that higher productivity will raise living standards. "People who today have two‑earner households will become one‑earner households. Maybe some people who are working overtime will stop working overtime," he said.
Prometheus currently employs about 150 people across offices in San Francisco, London and Zurich. While the company kept details of its existing prototypes under wraps, it confirmed that a substantial portion of the new funds will go toward expanding its high‑performance computing clusters.
The $41 billion valuation makes Prometheus one of the most richly valued AI startups ever funded and a marquee bet on the physical‑AI sector. Investors have been pouring capital into this niche, arguing that hardware‑focused AI offers stronger defensive moats than pure‑software ventures because the physical world creates natural barriers to entry.
Physical AI has attracted a wave of venture capital in recent months, with firms betting that the combination of advanced algorithms and real‑world applications will unlock new markets. Prometheus’s focus on automating engineering tasks places it at the heart of that trend, positioning the company to potentially reshape industries that rely on complex design and manufacturing pipelines.
Bezos’s involvement extends beyond financial backing. As Amazon’s executive chairman and its largest individual shareholder, he oversees a workforce of more than 1.5 million employees worldwide. Over the past year, Amazon has accelerated its own automation efforts, laying off tens of thousands of workers under CEO Andy Jassy. The Prometheus initiative reflects a broader strategic interest in leveraging AI to drive efficiency across large‑scale operations.
Industry observers note that while the promise of an artificial general engineer is bold, the technical challenges are formidable. Building software capable of reliably designing and producing physical systems at the scale of jet engines or pharmaceuticals requires massive data sets, sophisticated simulation tools and unprecedented compute power.
Nonetheless, the $12 billion raise signals strong confidence from Wall Street that the vision is achievable. If successful, Prometheus could usher in a new era where AI not only writes code but also engineers the hardware that powers modern life.
Questo articolo è stato scritto con l'assistenza dell'IA.
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