AI Startup Prometheus Raises Massive Funding to Transform Engineering with AI

Prometheus, a physical artificial intelligence startup co-founded by Jeff Bezos and Vik Bajaj, secured a massive $12 billion funding round, pushing its valuation to approximately $41 billion. Bajaj is widely known as the former co-founder of Verily, Google’s life sciences division.

The latest investment round attracted major financial institutions and investors, including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, and Bezos himself. This marks the company’s second major fundraising effort since its launch late last year. Previously, Prometheus had raised $6.2 billion during its initial funding round.

Prometheus is focused on developing what it describes as an “artificial general engineer” — an advanced AI system designed to automate the design and manufacturing of highly complex physical systems. These may range from aerospace technologies such as jet engines to pharmaceutical innovations, including drug compounds.

The startup aims to transform engineering processes by reducing manual workloads and accelerating production through AI-powered systems. While some experts in the technology sector have raised concerns about automation replacing jobs, Bezos has expressed a different outlook on the future of employment.

According to him, improvements in productivity driven by AI could eventually increase demand for workers instead of reducing it. He believes technological advancements may improve living standards by easing workloads and creating a situation where labour demand exceeds supply.

Prometheus currently employs around 150 professionals across offices in San Francisco, London, and Zurich. Although the company has remained largely secretive about its ongoing projects and technologies, Bezos indicated that a significant portion of the newly raised funds will be invested in expanding computing infrastructure to support the startup’s ambitious AI systems.

The development comes at a time when interest in physical AI is rapidly increasing among investors. Unlike traditional software-based startups, physical AI companies are gaining attention for creating solutions tied to real-world industries, which many believe offer stronger long-term advantages and barriers to competition.

With its valuation reaching $41 billion, Prometheus has emerged as one of the most highly valued AI startups globally, reflecting growing confidence in the future of physical artificial intelligence and its transformative potential across industries.