(CTN News) – The Vision Fund 2 of the SoftBank Group Corporation is going to make an investment in the artificial intelligence company known as Perplexity AI, which is based in the United States.
The Vision Fund 2 is valuing the company at $3 billion. It is anticipated that SoftBank will make an investment in Perplexity that is somewhere in the range of ten to twenty million dollars.
As a result of this round of fundraising, which is part of a series of capital investments totaling $250 million reported by Bloomberg, the valuation of Perplexity has gotten a major boost. This round of funding is part of the series of capital investments.
By doing so, the company is brought into parity with the most prominent companies operating in the industry. Since the company’s start, which occurred a little over two years ago, Perplexity AI has been working toward the goal of obtaining the same level of AI-based search capabilities as Google.
Masayoshi Son, the founder of SoftBank,
Places a high value on artificial intelligence (AI) as a significant emphasis area for the company. This is because with the intention of obtaining “artificial super intelligence” (ASI), he considers AI to be an important area of focus. Despite the fact that Son has in the past experienced losses in startup investments, the company remains firm in its dedication to the development of artificial intelligence.
The agreement with Perplexity AI, which is still in its preliminary phases, demonstrates SoftBank’s dedication to the advancement of artificial intelligence technologies. Through this deal, SoftBank’s wireless customers in Japan will be able to take advantage of a collaboration that will provide them with free access to its services for an entire year. Although it has been unsuccessful in the past, SoftBank remains dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence technology.
By exploiting its position as a “answer engine” which delivers real-time information in text format since it was founded less than two years ago, Perplexity AI is able to establish a strong presence in Japan, which is a significant market in this region. As a result, the company can take full advantage of its position in the market.
It is important to point out that the collaboration has enabled the company to expand its footprint in Japan, which is a significant achievement for the company.
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When it comes to the new focus that SoftBank is placing on artificial intelligence, it is important to keep in mind that confusion is not the end of the road. Over the course of the first month of this year, the conglomerate made an investment of two hundred million dollars in Tempus AI, a firm that specializes in medical data analytics.
In addition to that, there is a suggestion that Japan should establish a new artificial intelligence partnership in order to improve the AI services even more.
Additionally, it has been claimed that SoftBank is moving forward with a strategy that is being referred to as Izanagi. This plan is said to be worth one hundred billion dollars and is intended to invest in chips that are utilized in artificial intelligence. This is additional evidence that the corporation is interested in the technology that is used in the field of artificial intelligence.
There was no intention on the part of the representatives of both Perplexity and SoftBank to divulge any information concerning the conversations that took place regarding the investment agreement.
Particulars regarding the partnership between Perplexity AI and Softbank were disclosed to the general public for the very first time at the beginning of the month of June.
SoftBank is clearly boosting the stakes in its artificial intelligence investment plan, since this is a clear indication of the company’s intentions.
This is a move that is in line with the goal that Masayoshi Son, the chief executive officer of the company, has set for himself, which is to be at the forefront of the most recent advancements in artificial intelligence technology.
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