According to the latest news from Bloomberg, tech giants such as Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, Samsung, LG, and OpenAI are investing in a humanoid robot startup called Figure AI. The company has raised approximately $675 million in its latest funding round. So, what exactly is Figure AI?
This recent development of major tech companies betting on the field of humanoid robots has attracted global investor attention.
Tech giants making moves
Currently, companies like Nvidia are actively searching for and exploring new applications of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Humanoid robots, resembling humans, are emerging as a new trend, and these tech giants seem to believe that humanoid robots will become one of the most important applications of AI.
According to Bloomberg, informed sources revealed that Amazon founder Bezos, leading AI chip manufacturer Nvidia, and other major tech companies are investing in a startup called Figure AI Inc.
Sources indicate that Figure AI, supported by OpenAI (developers of ChatGPT) and Microsoft, is raising approximately $675 million in its latest funding round, with a pre-money valuation estimated at around $2 billion. Bezos, through his company Explore Investments LLC, has committed to investing $100 million, Microsoft plans to invest $95 million, and both Nvidia and an Amazon fund will invest $50 million each. Cathy Wood's venture fund, ARK Venture Fund, will also participate with an investment of approximately $2.5 million, and Aliya Capital Partners will invest around $20 million. Other investors include Tamarack, Boscolo Intervest Ltd., and BOLD Capital Partners.
It is understood that the investors will transfer the funds to Figure AI and officially sign the agreement on Monday (February 26th). However, these figures may change as final details and rules are established. Figure AI was established in 2022 and completed a $70 million funding round led by Parkway Venture Capital in May last year. Two months later, Intel invested $9 million. In October of the same year, Figure AI launched the humanoid robot Figure 01, which is silver-black in color and resembles the robotic characters in Hollywood sci-fi films. Figure 01 gained attention for its ability to make coffee. It can even adjust itself if placed incorrectly without any remote control. According to Figure AI, Figure 01 only needs to watch a demonstration video of human actions, along with 10 hours of end-to-end training, to learn the operational skills shown in the video and then independently complete tasks.
"Year of Acceleration"It is worth mentioning that Tesla is also actively developing its humanoid robot, Optimus. Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, recently stated that over time, Optimus could potentially become one of Tesla's biggest businesses.It can be seen that the humanoid robot market is gradually becoming a new area where tech giants are competing to establish a presence.In the field of humanoid robots, China also has industrial policy support.On January 29, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences officially released the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Development of Future Industries." Among them, the requirement to create landmark products includes strengthening future high-end equipment and breakthroughs in core technologies such as high torque density servo motors, high dynamic motion planning and control, biomimetic perception and cognition, intelligent dexterous hands, and electronic skin. It focuses on promoting the development and application of products in the fields of intelligent manufacturing, home services, and special environment operations. Changjiang Securities pointed out that the release of the above policies once again illustrates the government's attention to the humanoid robot industry track.Guotai Junan Securities stated that the progress of AI technology is the core driving force behind the development of the humanoid robot industry. Currently, the difficulty in achieving commercialization is the core problem facing the humanoid robot industry, and improving the level of generalization is the inevitable path for future development. This must rely on the progress and development of AI technology. Efforts made by tech giants such as NVIDIA in the robotics industry will further drive the development of the humanoid robot industry. 2024 will be the year of acceleration for the development of humanoid robots, with technological upgrades, product releases, and industry chain verification continually appearing. If NVIDIA's achievements in the field of robotics exceed expectations, it is expected to catalyze the entire humanoid robot sector.Guangfa Securities pointed out that the application of general-purpose humanoid robots began in closed B-end scenarios and is also the starting point for mass production. It is speculated that the mass production of humanoid robots will be based on the development of application scenarios, which will follow the sequence of closed B-end → closed C-end → open B-end → open C-end. In the short term, the automation rate in industrial scenarios is approaching a bottleneck, requiring humanoid robots to break through. In the medium and long term, there is still space in the consumer domain.
"Year of Acceleration"It is worth mentioning that Tesla is also actively developing its humanoid robot, Optimus. Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, recently stated that over time, Optimus could potentially become one of Tesla's biggest businesses.It can be seen that the humanoid robot market is gradually becoming a new area where tech giants are competing to establish a presence.In the field of humanoid robots, China also has industrial policy support.On January 29, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences officially released the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Development of Future Industries." Among them, the requirement to create landmark products includes strengthening future high-end equipment and breakthroughs in core technologies such as high torque density servo motors, high dynamic motion planning and control, biomimetic perception and cognition, intelligent dexterous hands, and electronic skin. It focuses on promoting the development and application of products in the fields of intelligent manufacturing, home services, and special environment operations. Changjiang Securities pointed out that the release of the above policies once again illustrates the government's attention to the humanoid robot industry track.Guotai Junan Securities stated that the progress of AI technology is the core driving force behind the development of the humanoid robot industry. Currently, the difficulty in achieving commercialization is the core problem facing the humanoid robot industry, and improving the level of generalization is the inevitable path for future development. This must rely on the progress and development of AI technology. Efforts made by tech giants such as NVIDIA in the robotics industry will further drive the development of the humanoid robot industry. 2024 will be the year of acceleration for the development of humanoid robots, with technological upgrades, product releases, and industry chain verification continually appearing. If NVIDIA's achievements in the field of robotics exceed expectations, it is expected to catalyze the entire humanoid robot sector.Guangfa Securities pointed out that the application of general-purpose humanoid robots began in closed B-end scenarios and is also the starting point for mass production. It is speculated that the mass production of humanoid robots will be based on the development of application scenarios, which will follow the sequence of closed B-end → closed C-end → open B-end → open C-end. In the short term, the automation rate in industrial scenarios is approaching a bottleneck, requiring humanoid robots to break through. In the medium and long term, there is still space in the consumer domain.
