Safe Superintelligence (SSI), an AI startup co-founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, has successfully raised $1 billion to develop safe AI systems that surpass human capabilities.
Currently, the SSI team consists of ten employees who aim to allocate these funds to enhance computational power and recruit top-tier talent. Their goal is to establish a small yet efficient research and engineering team in Palo Alto, California, and Tel Aviv, Israel, focusing on advancing trustworthy AI research and development.
While SSI has not disclosed its valuation, industry insiders estimate it to be around $5 billion. In recent years, investors have shown a waning interest in AI startups, primarily due to concerns about prolonged periods without profitability. However, SSI's substantial funding indicates that some investors are still willing to invest in fundamental AI research, especially under the guidance of notable talent.
Participants in this funding round include renowned venture capital firms such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, and SV Angel. Additionally, the investment firm NFDG, led by former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and current SSI CEO Daniel Gross, also took part in the funding.
With this investment, SSI aims to achieve breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence, propelling the research and application of safe AI forward.