Jeff Bezos’ AI lab is preparing to raise tens of billions of dollars to buy industrial companies that could be disrupted by artificial intelligence, according to the Financial Times.
The lab, operating under the code name Project Prometheus, is led by Bezos and former Google executive Vikram Bajaj. It raised $6.2 billion late last year at a valuation of about $30 billion, excluding any new funding now under discussion.
Prometheus is in early talks with major investors, including the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Bezos has also discussed a potential investment with JPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon.
The funding could come through JPMorgan’s $10 billion Security and Resiliency Initiative, which focuses on strengthening US supply chains. Bezos serves as an adviser to that initiative.
Manufacturing transformation vehicle
The company is planning a separate holding structure described as a “manufacturing transformation vehicle.” This entity would have tens of billions of dollars to acquire businesses that Bezos and his team believe will be reshaped by AI.
Unlike many AI startups focused on chatbots or language models, Prometheus is building systems designed to understand and optimise complex physical manufacturing processes. It is targeting industries such as jet engines and semiconductor production, aiming to make them faster and more resource-efficient.
Bezos is serving as co-chief executive, marking his first major management role since stepping down as Amazon CEO in 2021.
The company has hired more than 100 employees, including researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta, and is based in San Francisco with offices in London and Zurich.
