Backed by Lightspeed, SoftBank, and Jeff Bezos, IIT Kanpur alums aim to create versatile and scalable AI foundation model for robotics
Introduction:
In an unprecedented development for the global robotics industry, Pittsburgh-based AI robotics startup Skild AI has raised $300 million in Series A funding, marking one of the largest rounds ever for a robotics company. The round was co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, SoftBank Group, and Bezos Expeditions.
Founded in 2023 by IIT Kanpur graduates Abhinav Gupta and Deepak Pathak, Skild AI is developing what it calls a “scalable foundation model for robotics” – a shared, general-purpose AI brain that can enable intelligent, adaptive behavior across a wide variety of robots. The two-year-old startup has quickly made waves and is now valued at $1.5 billion.
Skild AI’s ambitious goal is to spark a paradigm shift in robotics by creating a foundational AI model that demonstrates broad generalization and emergent capabilities across diverse robots and tasks. This versatile platform could enable a new generation of highly dexterous and adaptable robots to safely collaborate with humans for applications ranging from logistics and manufacturing to healthcare and household work.
“The large-scale model we are building provides significant potential for automation within real-world environments,” said Skild AI CEO and co-founder Deepak Pathak. “We believe Skild AI has the potential to change the entire physical economy.”
Skild AI’s unique approach sets it apart in the competitive robotics landscape. Rather than focusing on custom robots for narrow use cases, the company is taking a horizontal approach by developing a shared AI foundation that can be deployed across many types of robots. Skild AI claims its model is being trained on a massive proprietary database over 1,000 times larger than those used by competitors.
The Skild AI founding team’s roots at IIT Kanpur underscore India’s growing stature as an AI and robotics talent hub. With a robust STEM education system and thriving tech ecosystem, India has produced many pioneers in fields like robotics, computer vision, and machine learning.
As Skild AI scales up, there could be significant opportunities for synergy with India’s burgeoning robotics startup ecosystem, which includes companies like GreyOrange, Miko, CynLr, and Systemantics. India’s advantages in software and AI development combined with growing hardware capabilities position it as an emerging power in the $100 billion global robotics industry.
Skild AI’s Series A is one of the largest funding rounds ever for an Indian-founded tech startup, reflecting the high expectations for the company’s transformative potential. “Skild AI has achieved massive breakthroughs in a short period, and we believe they’re a one-of-a-kind company that could redefine our notions of what machines are capable of,” said Lightspeed’s Raviraj Jain.
Other participating investors compared Skild AI’s technology to recent game-changing AI breakthroughs like GPT-3, noting the company’s platform could spark a similar “big bang” moment for the field of robotics.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Skild AI plans to massively scale its AI model, expand its datasets, push towards commercialization, and double down on recruiting top global talent. As the company charges ahead, look for India’s fast-growing AI ecosystem to play an increasingly pivotal role in ushering in this next generation of adaptive, general-purpose robotics.
