Ilya Sutskever, the co-founder of OpenAI who is gaining significant attention in the field of artificial intelligence, is raising over $1 billion for his new startup, Safe Superintelligence (SSI), which is valued at over $30 billion. This valuation positions SSI as one of the most valuable private tech companies in the world.
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According to sources, the San Francisco-based venture capital firm Greenoaks Capital Partners is leading this funding round and plans to invest $500 million. Greenoaks has previously invested in several AI companies, including Scale AI and Databricks. According to Reuters, this funding round significantly increases the valuation from Sutskever's previous company, which was valued at $5 billion. Although negotiations are still ongoing, specific details may change.
Before founding SSI, Sutskever served as the Chief Scientist at OpenAI and was involved in the development of the company's technology. He left OpenAI in May 2023 and subsequently co-founded SSI with venture capitalist Daniel Gross, who worked on AI projects at Apple, and former OpenAI researcher Daniel Levy. SSI focuses on developing safe AI systems and has not yet generated revenue, nor does it plan to sell any AI products in the short term.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Sutskever stated, "What makes this company special is that its first product will be safe superintelligence, and until then, it won't do anything else." He emphasized that the company will be completely insulated from external pressures and will avoid competing in the market for large, complex products.
It is worth mentioning that Sutskever was a key figure in the ousting of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in 2023 and later played an important role in helping Altman return to his position.
Key Points:
🌟 SSI is raising over $1 billion, with a valuation exceeding $30 billion.
🚀 The company focuses on developing safe AI systems and has not yet generated revenue.
🤖 Sutskever stated that the company's first product will be safe superintelligence, while other business activities will be temporarily put on hold.
