Flapping Airplanes raises $1 billion Series A at $6 billion valuation
One-year-old artificial intelligence research startup Flapping Airplanes has raised $1 billion in Series A funding at a $6 billion valuation to build more data- and compute-efficient AI models.
Flapping Airplanes, a year-old artificial intelligence startup, has raised $1 billion in Series A funding at a $6 billion valuation, according to reporting by Bloomberg's Rachel Metz. The round was co-led by Index Ventures and Lux Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital, GV, and Kleiner Perkins. The financing arrives just nine months after the company secured an $180 million seed round.[1][2][3][4][7][8][9]
The startup is focused on developing methods to train models using less data and compute while maximizing chip efficiency, pursuing a mission to build AI without ingesting half the internet. Co-founder Aidan Smith, a Thiel Fellow and three-year Neuralink alumnus, said the company rebuilt its GPU software stack from the ground up. In an interview with Sophia Dew and Theo Jaffee, Smith said Flapping Airplanes does not rely on Torch, NCCL, or the standard CUDA runtime, claiming that a single kernel on an Nvidia B200 chip can simultaneously train a model, serve inference, and play Doom.[2][4][5][6][7][9]
Key facts
- Flapping Airplanes raised $1 billion in Series A funding at a $6 billion valuation.
- Index Ventures and Lux Capital co-led the Series A round, with participation from Sequoia Capital, GV, and Kleiner Perkins.
- The funding comes nine months after Flapping Airplanes raised an $180 million seed round.
- Flapping Airplanes focuses on training AI models using less data and compute and improving chip efficiency.
- Co-founder Aidan Smith stated that the company rebuilt its GPU stack from scratch and does not use Torch, NCCL, or the standard CUDA runtime.
- Smith claimed a single kernel on an Nvidia B200 can train a model, serve inference, and run Doom at the same time.
Sources · 8 sources
- BL
Bloomberg@businessPost on X ·
The year-old artificial intelligence startup has raised $1 billion in new funding https://t.co/WjqOzrPc68
Open source - TE
TechCrunch@TechCrunchPost on X ·
Just 9 months after raising an $180 million seed round, Flapping Airplanes has landed $1 billion Series A for its mission to build AI models "without ingesting half the internet." https://t.co/h7a5FmdbzQ
Open source - SI
SiliconANGLE@SiliconANGLEPost on X ·
Year-old AI research lab Flapping Airplanes raises $1B at a reported $6B valuation https://t.co/VpDlY4CDBj
Open source - TE
Techmeme@TechmemePost on X ·
Flapping Airplanes, which is working on methods to train AI models on less data and compute and make the chips more efficient, raised $1B at a $6B valuation (@rachelmetz / Bloomberg) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)
Open source - QU
Quartz@qzPost on X ·
A 1-year-old AI startup just hit a $6B valuation by doing less with more Flapping Airplanes raised $1 billion by betting that the future of AI isn't bigger chips and more data — it's squeezing more out of what already exists. With Nvidia #FlappingAirplanes #AIStartup #AIFunding https://t.co/dB7TNlN6Vr
Open source - MT
MTS@MTSlivePost on X ·
FULL INTERVIEW: Flapping Airplanes just raised a $1B Series A after rebuilding the GPU stack from scratch. Co-founder Aidan Smith says they don’t even use Torch, NCCL or CUDA’s normal runtime. One kernel on one B200 can now train a model, serve inference and play Doom at the same time. @aidanmantine, Thiel Fellow and 3-year Neuralink alum, co-founded @flappyairplanes. He joined @sophiadew and @theojaffee to break down why AI needs to learn more like the brain, how they rebuilt the GPU stack, and who they hire: 00:30 where the name Flapping Airplanes comes from 02:04 why they bet on data efficiency 03:07 what Neuralink taught him about AI 04:27 how slow your brain actually is 06:06 why not just emulate the whole brain 08:40 why they rebuilt the GPU stack from scratch 10:33 compute overhang and safety 12:56 can a neo lab win if the big labs hit RSI first 14:27 what ML research looks like when no one writes code 15:40 why DNA, robotics and trading are data-starved 18:41 how they hire in the AI talent wars 21:17 the models they might ship first
Open source - TE
TechmemeArticle ·
Flapping Airplanes, which is working on methods to train AI models using less data and compute and make the chips more efficient, raised $1B at a $6B valuation (Rachel Metz/Bloomberg) Rachel Metz / Bloomberg : Flapping Airplanes, which is working on methods to train AI models using less data and compute and make the chips more efficient, raised $1B at a $6B valuation — Flapping Airplanes, a year-old artificial intelligence startup, has raised $1 billion in funding at a $6 billion valuation …
Open source - TF
Tech Funding News@TFNBreakingNewsPost on X ·
📌@flappyairplanes has raised a $1 billion Series A at a $6 billion valuation. https://t.co/1k5ABQjYKD @IndexVentures and @Lux_Capital co-led the round, as first reported by Bloomberg. @sequoia, @GVteam, and @kleinerperkins also took part. #ai #ustech #unicorns #valuation #technology #vcfunding #startups
Open source - MT
MTS@MTSlivePost on X ·
SITUATION DETECTED: Flapping Airplanes has raised $1 billion at a $6 billion valuation in a Series A co-led by Index and Lux. The company is working on methods to use both data and compute more efficiently.
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