Recently, Nvidia announced a $4 million seed round investment in the startup MetAI. MetAI is focused on developing a model that can rapidly generate "SimReady" digital twins, utilizing AI and 3D technology to convert CAD files into functional 3D environments in just a few minutes.
Nvidia is continuously pushing forward in the industrial AI applications and robotics sector, launching the Omniverse platform and its latest Mega framework to promote the development of digital twin technology. MetAI's CEO and co-founder, Yu Jiahao, stated that creating digital twins is often seen as a barrier to entry for physical AI, as the development process can take months or even years.
MetAI focuses on providing AI-driven digital twins for advanced semiconductor manufacturing, smart warehouses, and automation, while generating synthetic data within AI-enabled digital twin environments. The company's CTO and co-founder, Xu Renteng, has extensive experience in 3D engineering and AI, having used digital twin technology while developing enterprise AI software applications. He later recognized the potential of combining 3D technology with AI, leading him to co-found MetAI with Yu Jiahao and another co-founder, Liu Dawei.
MetAI stood out in the competition with Nvidia, winning first place, which led Xu Renteng to become a "Jetson AI Ambassador." MetAI's competitors include several large and small companies, such as Siemens Digital Industries, Dassault Systèmes, Hexagon AB, and Duality AI. Despite the intense competition, MetAI is trying to find its unique advantage by generating digital twins specifically designed for training and implementing physical AI.
MetAI's technology can generate synthetic data tailored to specific operational needs within its AI-enabled digital twin environments, thereby accelerating AI training and validation. This year, MetAI collaborated with Kenmec to create digital twins for automated warehouses, successfully reducing the time required for warehouse digital twin simulation from thousands of hours to just 3 minutes, significantly lowering operational and validation costs.
With the latest funding, MetAI plans to expand its R&D team, accelerate product development, and intends to establish an office in the United States in the second half of 2025, while also relocating its headquarters to the U.S.
Key Highlights:
🌟 Nvidia invests $4 million in startup MetAI to advance AI digital twin technology.
🤖 MetAI utilizes AI and 3D technology to quickly convert CAD files into functional 3D environments, shortening the digital twin creation time.
🚀 MetAI plans to move its headquarters to the U.S. in 2025 and expand its R&D team to meet growing market demands.
