Microsoft (MS) and OpenAI have joined forces to develop humanoid robots. It’s reported that the 2 firms are discussing investment in Figure AI, a humanoid robot startup.
Bloomberg cited a well-informed source on the thirty first (local time) and reported that Figure AI is within the means of raising as much as $500 million (KRW 660 billion) in funding, with Microsoft raising $95 million (about KRW 120 billion) and Open AI raising $5 million (about KRW 660 billion). It was reported that a plan to speculate tons of of tens of millions of won is being discussed.
Figure AI is a startup that’s pursuing the event and popularization of humanoid robots that may replace physical labor performed by humans, reminiscent of organizing warehouses.
Sources said that if this transaction is accomplished, Figure AI's corporate value may very well be assessed at $1.9 billion (roughly 2.5 trillion won), and the valuation could increase further depending on the quantity of financing. On this case, Figure AI leaps from a startup to a unicorn company.
Nevertheless, this financing plan has not yet been decided, and there may be a possibility that the investment amount may change or the transaction may collapse.
Figure AI was founded in 2022 by engineers from Tesla and robotics specialist Boston Dynamics. In May of last 12 months, it attracted $70 million (roughly 93 billion won) in funding, and thru Figure 01, it goals to enable people to perform dangerous tasks that humans cannot do and solve the issue of insufficient labor. Figure 01 has already been recognized for its usefulness to the extent that it has been decided to be introduced at BMW's automobile and battery production plants.
This isn’t OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's first investment in humanoid robots. In March last 12 months, it invested $23.5 million (about 31 billion won) in Norwegian robot startup 1X Technology AS.
If MS and Open AI resolve to speculate in figure AI, the competition to develop humanoid robots is predicted to turn into more intense.
In December of last 12 months, Tesla released a video of the 2nd generation Optimus with greatly improved features. 1X Technology AS is developing a bipedal robot with 'ChatGPT' applied, and Sanctuary AI is developing a humanoid robot called 'Phoenix'.
Humanoid robots have the potential for use not only in industrial settings but additionally in various service industries. Nevertheless, this requires advanced AI technology to acknowledge surrounding situations and respond appropriately.
Ultimately, it’s predicted that the important competitive think about the humanoid robot market can be not only hardware technology but additionally how effectively advanced technologies reminiscent of generative AI are utilized.
Reporter Park Chan cpark@aitimes.com