Jeff Bezos' Prometheus Raises $12B to Build 'Artificial General Engineer'
Prometheus is developing AI models for physical tasks, with Bezos hinting that the AI startup may leverage Amazon’s cloud business due to its compute requirements.
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Prometheus, the physical artificial intelligence startup co-founded by Jeff Bezos, has announced a $12 billion funding round at a $41 billion valuation. The round saw participation from Bezos himself, as well as financial heavyweights JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and BlackRock, among others.
With Prometheus, Bezos, along with co-founder Vik Bajaj, is aiming to build an “artificial general engineer”—a system capable of automating the design and manufacturing of complex physical systems.
Prometheus is developing AI models for physical tasks, including engineering, manufacturing, and drug design.
Bezos revealed that the developments were still “premature” of what the AI startup has accomplished to date, “but it’s really quite remarkable.”
According to reports, the Amazon founder is optimistic about AI productivity gains that could pave the way for “labor scarcity,” a term referring to a situation in which demand for human workers outpaces supply. This view puts him at odds with other AI leaders who have predicted widespread job losses.
“Significant productivity in the economy is going to raise the standard of living,” he said. “People who today have two-earner households will become one-earner households. Maybe some people who are working overtime will stop working overtime.”
The AI startup was announced last November with $6.2 billion in funding. The new capital will largely be diverted to computing requirements. “That is a big chunk of the funding we’ve raised,” Bezos said. “And one of the reasons we’ve had to raise a significant amount of funding is because what we’re doing is very compute-intensive and we need to create that data.”
He further shared that it’s “easy to imagine” the AI startup leveraging Amazon’s cloud business due to its compute requirements. “It’s easy to imagine Amazon or any hyperscaler using the kinds of tools” that Prometheus is developing to improve their data centers,” he said.
Bezos also provided updates on Blue Origin’s plans to relaunch its New Glenn rocket by year-end. Last month, one of its New Glenn rockets blew up at its Florida facility. “We’ll be flying again before the end of this year,” Bezos said.
SpaceX’s IPO Raises $75 Billion in Biggest Debut of All Time
As Blue Origin is in the process of restoring the launch site, its competitor SpaceX has made history with the biggest-ever IPO, making Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire. Bezos will be keeping an eye on the development, adding that he’ll be “watching along with the rest of you.”
SpaceX’s $75 billion public offering has shattered records and dethroned Saudi Aramco, whose $29.4 billion listing in 2019 previously held the top spot.
One of the most anticipated IPOs of 2026, SpaceX precedes the public offering of Anthropic and OpenAI, which could seek valuations of over $1 trillion each. Kim Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital Partners, calls it “probably the most hopeful IPO.” According to her, SpaceX buyers “want to be part of the future.”
Anthony Saglimbene of Ameriprise calls it “a big deal as a kind of precursor for Anthropic and OpenAI.”
With 555.6 million shares priced at $135 each, SpaceX’s stock will debut on Nasdaq and Nasdaq Texas on Friday under the symbol SPCX.
