Imbue, the AI research laboratory previously known as Generally Intelligent, has achieved a significant financial milestone by securing $200 million in a Series B funding round. With this substantial investment, Imbue's valuation now exceeds $1 billion, firmly establishing its presence in the thriving AI landscape.
Imbue's Series B funding round boasts the participation of prominent entities, including the Astera Institute, Nvidia, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt, and Notion co-founder Simon Last. This noteworthy investment reinforces the company's vision and capabilities.
With a total funding amount of $220 million, Imbue joins the ranks of well-funded AI startups. While it trails behind AI21 Labs ($283 million) and other generative AI vendors like Cohere ($435 million) and Adept ($415 million), Imbue's financial backing positions it as a significant player in the AI research and development space.
Imbue embarked on its journey out of stealth mode with a mission to explore the fundamental aspects of human intelligence that machines currently lack. Initially, the company aimed to translate these fundamentals into tasks and design AI models to solve them in complex 3D environments. However, Imbue's approach has evolved over time.
The company's current focus centers on developing AI models capable of robust reasoning. It identifies reasoning as a critical element for effective AI agents, enabling them to navigate uncertainty, adapt strategies, seek information, make decisions, and handle the unpredictable nature of the real world.
Imbue emphasizes the importance of code as a practical application beyond enabling AI app development at scale. It argues that code enhances reasoning and is an effective means for models to take actions on machines. Code-based AI agents are more likely to fulfill user requests and reason effectively.
Their models are custom-designed for robust reasoning, trained on data to reinforce sound reasoning patterns. The company employs techniques that utilize significant computational resources during inference, ensuring robust conclusions and actions.
Imbue adopts a training approach involving "very large" models, boasting over 100 billion parameters. These models are optimized to excel on internal benchmarks for reasoning tasks. The training is facilitated on a specialized compute cluster co-designed with Nvidia, featuring 10,000 GPUs from Nvidia's H100 series.
Imbue invests in developing its AI and machine learning tooling, including AI prototypes for debugging and user-friendly visual interfaces built atop AI models. The company is committed to enhancing the learning process in large language models.
The company views its AI agents as advanced computers capable of comprehending user goals, proactively communicating, and operating in the background to assist users effectively. The company's long-term vision is to enable the creation of custom AI agents accessible to everyone, democratizing the power of AI.
The recent Series B funding round provides Imbue with the resources to accelerate the development of AI systems proficient in reasoning and coding. These systems aim to facilitate the accomplishment of significant global objectives.
Imbue's substantial Series B funding and evolving research approach signify its growing influence in the AI domain. As the company delves deeper into developing AI systems with robust reasoning and coding capabilities, it paves the way for a future where customized AI agents empower individuals to harness the productive potential of AI. Imbue's journey exemplifies the dynamic landscape of AI research and its profound impact on shaping the future of technology.
