OpenAI is moving forward with plans to incorporate its technology into humanoid robots, working with Figure AI, a startup that specializes in AI robotics for workforce deployment. Figure AI, led by Sam Altman, handles labor shortages and assists supply chains, especially for clients in the United States. Figure AI raised $675 million in a Series B fundraising round on February 29, bringing its worth to $2.6 billion. The OpenAI Startup Fund, Microsoft, Jeff Bezos (via Bezos Expeditions), Parkway Venture Capital, Intel Capital, Nvidia, ARK Invest, and Align Ventures have all contributed to this fundraising round.
Funding Surge Propels Figure AI’s Vision
The investment will help Figure AI hasten the deployment of humanoid robots for commercial purposes. Along with this large funding, Figure AI has formed a collaborative agreement with OpenAI to pioneer next-generation AI models designed specifically for humanoid robots. This cooperation combines OpenAI’s research experience with Figure AI’s extensive knowledge of both the hardware and software sides of robots. The goal is to improve the skills of humanoid robots, particularly their ability to process and extract reasoning from language.
Peter Welinder, VP of Product and Partnerships at OpenAI, expressed interest for the partnership, saying, “We’ve always wanted to return to robotics, and we see a path with Figure to explore what humanoid robots can do when powered by highly capable multimodal models.” OpenAI intends to build on Figure’s progress in constructing its general-purpose robot, Figure 01, which mimics human movements.
Figure AI: Crafting Tomorrow’s Robotics
Figure AI, which was founded in 2022 in Sunnyvale, California, rose to prominence due to its humanoid robot’s humanlike movements. CEO Brett Adcock, a Tesla and Google DeepMind graduate, leads a team of professionals in robotics, AI, and aviation. The company intends to use the fresh funds to develop AI training, robot production, engineering teams, and commercial deployment activities.
The mission at Figure AI is to quickly deploy humanoid robots into commercial activities, with the goal of having a transformative impact on humanity. Brett Adcock commented on the cooperation, saying, “Our goal at Figure is to put humanoid robots into commercial use as quickly as possible. This investment, together with our collaboration with OpenAI and Microsoft, assures that we are ready to bring embodied AI to the world.”
The collaboration is a major step toward developing robots through cutting-edge AI capabilities. It intends to push the limits of what humanoid robots can do by combining OpenAI’s research capabilities with Figure AI’s robotics experience. This project not only accelerates Figure AI’s growth, but also represents a crucial step toward making AI-powered robots a part of everyday life.
