A California-based AI startup backed by Jeff Bezos and biotech investor Vik Bajaj has raised $12 billion in a Series B funding round to commercialize a physics-focused model capable of processing 5 trillion data points in a single request.
Accelerated Understanding Inc., founded by Caltech professor Anima Anandkumar and her husband Benedikt Jenik, developed the system using neural operator technology pioneered by Anandkumar during her tenure at Nvidia. The model diverges from language-centric AI systems by predicting physical phenomena across space and time, rather than text generation.
In tests, the model processed 5 trillion data points simultaneously—approximately 5 million times the capacity of leading language models from Anthropic and Google, according to the company. The technology was designed to optimize chip design, power robotics, forecast extreme weather, and analyze geological data for energy sector applications.
The Series B funding round, closed in June 2026, values Prometheus, the venture behind the AI system, at $12 billion. Investors include Bezos, who committed more than $2 billion in capital for committed rounds up to Series B. The startup plans to focus initially on business-to-business applications rather than consumer-facing products.
Anandkumar, a former Amazon scientist and Nvidia director, has collaborated with computing providers to deploy hardware clusters for the AI system, though specific partners were not disclosed. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, previously highlighted her work on neural operators at the company’s 2021 GTC conference.
The startup’s launch coincides with broader industry efforts to develop "world models"—AI systems capable of simulating real-world dynamics. Supervised by AI leaders such as Yann LeCun and Fei-Fei Li, Prometheus represents a bet on physics-driven AI over language-centric approaches.
Anandkumar emphasized the model’s nature-centric vision, stating it prioritizes physical phenomena over human-centered language processing. Huang, in response to her work, reportedly remarked, "I want it to steal bread from all of them," underscoring the disruptive potential of the technology.
