Rise of the Robots: Jeff Bezos and Nvidia Invest in Humanoid Robotics Startup Figure AI

Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, and other major technology players have reportedly invested $675 million into Figure AI, a startup building human-like robots.

Bloomberg reports that Figure AI’s latest funding round carries a roughly $2 billion valuation for the company. Lead investors include Jeff Bezos’ Explore Investments, committing $100 million, Microsoft at $95 million, Nvidia and Amazon both at $50 million, and Parkway Venture Capital with $100 million.

Jeff Bezos (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Figure AI’s humanoid robot under development is called Figure 01 and is intended to mimic both the appearance and movements of an actual human. Unlike current industrial robots built for specific purposes, Figure 01 is designed to be multipurpose enough to complete a wide variety of real-world jobs and tasks.

Meet Figure 01 pic.twitter.com/mQa2b59Vju

— Figure (@Figure_robot) October 18, 2023

Other technology companies are also betting on the robot startup, like Intel’s venture capital arm investing $25 million and LG Innotek providing $8.5 million. Samsung’s investment group committed $5 million.

The company’s central motivation is enabling its robots to tackle dangerous occupations that aren’t suitable or safe for human workers. This could involve activities like operating in hazardous environments, lifting heavy objects, conducting search and rescue missions, working with radioactive materials, or any number of high-risk scenarios. Figure AI claims its robots could also offset labor shortages by taking on crucial yet unfilled roles across industries like manufacturing and healthcare.

Figure’s recent funding haul will fuel these ambitious plans over the coming years. The influx of capital from backers like Bezos, Nvidia and Microsoft also serves as an endorsement of Figure AI’s goals and humanoid technology within the growing fields of robotics and artificial intelligence.

Figure AI now joins companies like Tesla, OpenAI, Agility Robotics and others also working to build out functional humanoid robots. With its newfound cash reserves and investor credibility, Figure AI is primed to become a leader in bringing this pioneering technology into the real world.

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