Fei-Fei Li's World Labs Raises $1 Billion, Ricursive Secures $335 Million for AI Chip Design

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World Labs, founded by Fei-Fei Li, raised $1 billion to develop spatial intelligence systems known as world models. Ricursive Intelligence, co-founded by former Google Brain researchers, raised $335 million at a $4 billion valuation for its AI-powered chip design platform. Additionally, Google added generative music capabilities to its Gemini app using DeepMind's Lyria 3 model.

Why it matters

These investments highlight the growing importance of spatial intelligence, AI-driven chip design, and generative AI applications in the tech industry. The funding for World Labs and Ricursive demonstrates the demand for advanced AI technologies that can power the next generation of robotics, gaming, and simulation. Google's integration of Lyria 3 into Gemini also showcases the potential for generative AI to transform creative industries like music.

The details

World Labs plans to use the $1 billion in funding to accelerate the development of its world model technology, which can generate persistent 3D environments from text, images, or video. The company's first product, Marble, is designed for applications in robotics, gaming, visual effects, and simulation. Ricursive, on the other hand, has developed an AI system that automates the layout and verification of computer chips, reducing a process that normally takes a year to just a few hours. Google's Gemini app now allows users to create original 30-second music tracks by describing a genre, mood, or idea, or by uploading images or video for audio matching. The system generates lyrics, instrumentation, and cover art, and includes SynthID watermarking for provenance.

• World Labs raised $1 billion in funding.
• Ricursive Intelligence raised $335 million at a $4 billion valuation within four months of launching.
• Google added generative music capabilities to its Gemini app using DeepMind's Lyria 3 model.