By Kashmira Konduparty
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire entrepreneur and Vik Bajaj the scientist-entrepreneur unveiled the ambitions behind their AI startup Prometheus during a CNBC interview, announcing a $12 billion funding round that values the company at $41 billion. The company aims to build what its founders call an “artificial general engineer” AI capable of helping design and manufacture complex physical products.
Prometheus raised $12 billion in a Series B round from investors including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock and Bezos himself. The startup previously raised $6.2 billion when it launched in late 2025, bringing total funding to more than $18 billion.
Unlike AI companies focused on chatbots and text generation, Prometheus is targeting engineering and manufacturing. Bezos said the goal is to create tools that dramatically accelerate invention and product development. The technology is intended to help engineers design everything from jet engines, aerospace systems, medical devices, computer hardware and potentially pharmaceutical compounds.
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Bezos described Prometheus as an effort to create an AI system that can assist with real-world engineering challenges, similar to how large language models transformed text-based work. The founders argue that advances in AI now make it possible to automate significant portions of the engineering process. Bajaj said the company is focused on applying AI to the physical world rather than simply generating content.
During the interview, Bezos rejected the idea that AI will inevitably eliminate large numbers of jobs. Instead, he argued that productivity gains from AI could increase economic growth and eventually create labor shortages rather than mass unemployment. He said higher productivity could improve living standards and reshape how people work.Bezos said a significant portion of the new funding will be used to secure computing power needed to train advanced AI systems. The announcement highlights the growing importance of data centers, chips and AI infrastructure in the global race to develop next-generation AI technologies.
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Prometheus marks Bezos’ first major CEO-level operating role since stepping down as CEO of Amazon in 2021. He currently serves as co-CEO alongside Bajaj and has described the startup as one of his primary focuses alongside Blue Origin.
At a $41 billion valuation, Prometheus has become one of the world’s most valuable private AI startups. The size of the funding round reflects investor confidence that AI applications in manufacturing, engineering and industrial design could become one of the next major frontiers in artificial intelligence.
The public unveiling of Prometheus signals Bezos’ most ambitious AI initiative yet, expanding the AI race beyond chatbots and software into engineering, manufacturing and the broader physical economy.