Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a cutting-edge AI company co-founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. Has secured $2 billion in its latest funding round, propelling its valuation from $5 billion to a staggering $32 billion in less than a year. This remarkable growth positions SSI as a leading figure in the AI safety space. With its first funding round in September 2024 raising $1 billion at a $5 billion valuation.
The funding round includes contributions from prestigious firms such as Greenoaks Capital. Which committed $500 million, and major investors like Alphabet, NVIDIA, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and DST Global. One of the most notable aspects of this investment is Alphabet’s involvement. Not only is the company backing SSI financially, but it has also entered into a strategic infrastructure agreement. Alphabet is providing SSI access to Google Cloud’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). A move that signals a major shift, as these chips were previously reserved for internal Google use. This partnership allows SSI to leverage cutting-edge AI hardware beyond the dominant NVIDIA GPUs. Expanding its capacity for high-performance AI computing.
The capital raised will be directed towards scaling SSI’s research and development operations. Enhancing its global presence, and strengthening its computing infrastructure to develop safe and powerful AI systems. Unlike many startups that push for quick commercial products, SSI is focusing its resources on long-term innovation. This includes investing in supercomputing infrastructure, AI safety alignment research, and expanding its team of top-tier AI researchers across its U.S. and Israeli hubs.
With a total of $3 billion in funding, SSI has become one of the most highly valued AI startups in the world, even before releasing any products or public roadmaps. Here’s a deeper look at five key aspects that define this AI unicorn’s ambitious vision:
Exclusive Focus on AI Safety SSI has made AI safety its core mission. By investing heavily in research to ensure that AI systems are developed and deployed responsibly, the company aims to create AI that aligns with human values and promotes positive societal impact. This dedication to safety is what distinguishes SSI in the increasingly crowded AI sector, positioning the company to play a pivotal role in the future of AI technology.
