Tesla Optimus Rival? Jeff Bezos, Microsoft And Nvidia Join Forces To Fund Humanoid Robot Startup

Jeff Bezos and big tech giants, Nvidia Corp. NVDA, and Microsoft Corp. MSFT are investing in a humanoid robot startup, Figure AI Inc.

What Happened: Figure AI is raising approximately $675 million in a funding round that values the company at around $2 billion before the investment, reported Bloomberg.

Bezos, through his firm Explore Investments LLC, has committed $100 million. Microsoft is investing $95 million, while Nvidia and an Amazon.com Inc.-affiliated AMZN fund are each providing $50 million.

Figure AI is developing a robot, Figure 01, that resembles and moves like a human. The company aims to use its technology to perform hazardous tasks unsuitable for humans and mitigate labor shortages.

Other tech companies, including Intel Corp.’s INTC venture capital arm and LG Innotek, are investing $25 million and $8.5 million, respectively.

Samsung’s investment group committed $5 million, while venture firms Parkway Venture Capital and Align Ventures are investing $100 million and $90 million, respectively.

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OpenAI, which once considered acquiring Figure, is investing $5 million. The $675 million raised is a significant increase over the $500 million initially sought by Figure. The company’s valuation of approximately $2 billion does not account for the capital being raised.

Why It Matters: Figure AI’s humanoid robot, Figure 01, has demonstrated impressive capabilities, such as making coffee. The robot’s development comes amid a broader trend in the tech industry of creating humanoid robots capable of performing a variety of tasks.

Tesla Inc. TSLA, for instance, has been developing its own humanoid robot, Optimus, which can handle delicate objects and perform tasks such as folding shirts.

The investment in Figure AI by major tech companies underscores the growing interest and potential in this field.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo courtesy: Figure AI Inc.