Microsoft, OpenAI Fuel Humanoid Robotics Surge with $500M Figure AI Investment

Microsoft and OpenAI, backed by Redmond's tech giant, spearheaded a funding round that generated more than $500 million for Figure AI, a robotics business.

Microsoft, OpenAI Reportedly Lead $500M Fundraising Round For Robotics Startup

OpenAI’s boss Sam Altman has previously termed it during a podcast interview with Bill Gates that the AI business has been observing in hardware tech, going into physically demanding blue-collar industries and robots.

“We’ve started investing a little bit in robotics companies. On the physical hardware side, there’s finally, for the first time that I’ve ever seen, really exciting new platforms being built there,” the AI boss stated.

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft is considering investing roughly $95 million and OpenAI contributing $5 million, valuing Figure at $1.9 billion before the cash. The deal has not been finalized, and specifics may change.

“Figure is the first-of-its-kind AI robotics company bringing a general purpose humanoid to life,” the company describes itself on its official website. Microsoft, OpenAI, and Figure AI have not yet responded to the recent findings.

Altman has already expressed concerns about the rapid progress of AI technology, and with OpenAI's foray into the humanoid robot business, it appears that AI-powered robots may soon take on more blue-collar work.

“Each technological revolution has gotten faster, and this will be the fastest by far. That’s the part that I find potentially a little scary, is the speed with which society is going to have to adapt, and that the labor market will change,” he said.

Microsoft Has Not Released The ‘First Windows 12 Insider Build’ Yet

Microsoft has thrown a few hints here and there, implying a significant upgrade for Windows 11, albeit it will not definitely be called Windows 12.

When Windows fan @XenoPanther posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Microsoft is testing "Build 27547" on its internal Canary, a secret platform only accessible to Microsoft workers where they test new features and enhancements, it generated a conversation.

Why is the numbering system important? Microsoft frequently foreshadows important changes with rapid adjustments in build numbers. Canary insiders are normally given builds with the number 26XXX, with the most recent being 26040; thus, the significant jump to 27XXX should imply something.

This pattern is consistent with prior Windows releases, including Windows 10 (19XXX) and Windows 11, as per MS Power User. However, some people and popular stories believe that this suggests that "Windows 12" has been internally tested, which is not totally accurate.

Instead, once ready for beta testing, it might be a significant upgrade packed with AI features that will be sent out to insiders via the Canary channel, the Germanium platform (ge_release). This improved version is expected to be released as the "Windows 12 2024 Update," also known as Hudson Valley (24H2).

Microsoft's most compelling selling point has been its AI features. Satya Nadella, CEO of the Redmond firm, stated in earnings reports for the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 that the company's growth of AI across its IT backbone had helped it secure new clients.

Photo: BoliviaInteligente/Unsplash