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Gates, Nvidia-backed robotics firm Field AI hits $2 billion valuation

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A FieldAI robot.

Courtesy: FieldAI

Bill Gates-backed Robotics startup Field AI has raised $405 million in two funding rounds, with investments from Nvidia‘s venture capital arm and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos‘ family office.

The funding comes during an “aha moment,” founder and CEO Ali Agha told CNBC, as software and hardware reach an inflection point.

“We are growing,” he said. “This funding announcement is to respond to the customer demand.”

The latest round values the two-year-old startup at $2 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified to discuss financial information.

Along with NVentures and Bezos Expeditions, the rounds included investments from Khosla Ventures, Temasek, Canaan Partners and Intel Capital. Samsung and Gates Frontier, the Microsoft founder’s investment fund, previously invested in the company.

The Irvine, California-based company also said the rounds were oversubscribed. Agha said most investors approached FieldAI about investing.

Field AI’s latest round comes during a busy period for robotics startups as companies look to beef up their artificial intelligence offerings and improve on efficiency. Two-time CNBC Disruptor 50 startup Gecko Robotics raised $125 million in June to surpass a $1 billion valuation.

Field AI, which includes former DeepMind, SpaceX, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot and NASA employees, creates models used to control robots worldwide and works across sectors, including construction, energy and logistics.

A FieldAI robot.

Courtesy: FieldAI

The “effortless transferability” across environments and limited work on the customer side helps companies scale robots quickly, Agha said.

Agha spent nearly a decade at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and specializes in robotics autonomy and physical AI. Agha said Field AI has added more than 100 positions over the past few months to meet growing customer demands and address labor shortages and safety efficiency needs.

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Funding & Business

Netskope IPO In Demand as AI Era Heightens Cyber Threats

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Fears that artificial intelligence will force companies to spend more on security software are helping to drive demand for Netskope Inc.’s initial public offering.



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Real Estate Demand Growing for AI Data Centers

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As companies continue to focus investment on cloud due to AI, real estate demand for data centers has been steadily growing, with customers increasingly moving from proof-of-concepts towards production systems and applications of the technology. CEO Adaire Fox-Martin joined Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss the important role data centers provide in the economy. (Source: Bloomberg)



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Funding & Business

Hitting an Inflection Point in Inferencing: Qiu

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Lei Qiu, CIO for Thematic Innovation Equities at AllianceBernstein, says the adoption of AI is broadening out and there are opportunities, but prudence is also important. She speaks to Bloomberg’s Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow on ‘Bloomberg Tech.’ (Source: Bloomberg)



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