SoftBank leads a $500 million funding round for Skild AI to develop adaptable robots. Google is launching Heritable Agriculture, an AI biotech startup focused on better plant breeding. In India, Bhavish Aggarwal invests $230 million in Krutrim AI Labs to tackle linguistic challenges in AI. Meanwhile, Cherry Ventures has created a $500 million fund to invigorate European startups.
SoftBank is spearheading a $500 million investment in Skild AI, a startup focused on developing adaptable robots capable of general intelligence. Their innovation, the Skild brain, allows robots to perform diverse tasks, from chores like opening fridges to complex operations on computers. Founded by Carnegie Mellon professors Deepak Pathak and Abhinav Gupta, Skild AI previously secured $300 million in Series A funding from notable investors including SoftBank and Bezos Expeditions. Their vision aims for artificial general intelligence integrated into the physical world.
In a different venture, Google is launching Heritable Agriculture, an independent AI biotech startup birthed from its X division. This startup is poised to transform plant breeding through advanced machine learning, making crops “programmable” and aiming at enhancing sustainability. Its technology promises to revolutionize yields and resilience, helping farmers breed plants that thrive under climate stress while speeding up the breeding process significantly.
In India, tech mogul Bhavish Aggarwal is investing approximately $230 million into Krutrim AI Labs, which he founded as India’s first frontier AI lab. The startup has released the newest version of its open-source large language model and a global benchmark for Indian languages. Aggarwal aims to address the unique challenges posed by India’s diverse linguistic landscape in AI development and seeks additional funding of $1.15 billion to support these initiatives.
Meanwhile, European venture capital firm Cherry Ventures has launched a new $500 million investment fund aimed at igniting startup innovation across the continent. The firm seeks to challenge the prevailing narrative of European tech stagnation, advocating for the region’s potential to produce the first trillion-dollar company. With a pool of world-class talent and robust tech hubs, Cherry believes the landscape for innovation must evolve to seize new opportunities in AI.
The investment landscape in AI is rapidly evolving, with major players like SoftBank and Google shifting their strategies to harness emerging technologies. Startups such as Skild AI, Heritable Agriculture, and Krutrim AI Labs are at the forefront of these developments, pushing boundaries in robotics, biotechnology, and language processing. The trend reflects a growing recognition of the potential of artificial general intelligence and the importance of sustainable practices in agriculture, while also revealing regional disparities in funding and innovation.
In summary, the current wave of investments and startups in AI technology highlights a profound transformation in how intelligence and sustainability are perceived. From adaptable robots and programmable crops to investments fueling India’s linguistic capabilities, the global narrative is changing. These moves from established firms and innovative startups suggest a bright future filled with opportunities for growth and technological advancements in artificial intelligence.
Original Source: www.pymnts.com
