Exclusive: Nvidia investing in math AI startup Harmonic
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Chipmaker Nvidia is joining the list of investors backing Harmonic, a startup focused on AI systems designed to solve mathematical problems.
Why it matters: Large language models are doing increasingly well in math contests, but Harmonic says there's still a big market for AI systems that can formally verify the accuracy of their results.
The big picture: Nvidia is joining Harmonic's $120 million Series C round, which valued the company at $1.45 billion, Harmonic told Axios.
- Emerson Collective is also joining as a new investor, alongside existing backers Ribbit Capital, Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures and Kleiner Perkins.
Between the lines: Harmonic says its model, known as Aristotle, is not only solving math challenges, but also showing promise in coding and chip design.
- "[Nvidia's] support will help us advance Aristotle's capabilities, accelerate the pace of discovery in mathematics and enable industries to harness the power of mathematical AI for critical, high-stakes problems," Harmonic CEO Tudor Achim said in a statement to Axios.
- The company plans to use some of the funding to expand its workforce from under 30 to somewhere between 50 and 75, though much of the money will be used to pay for needed compute resources.
Zoom in: Large language models work by predicting the next token rather than operating off a fundamental set of truths.
- Harmonic's approach, by contrast, is able to not only solve problems, but also to verifiably show its work.
Zoom out: Harmonic launched in 2024 with backing from Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev.
- "We see a world where the vast majority of software and hardware will be AI-generated and formally verified, and we're just getting started," Tenev said in a statement.
What to watch: Harmonic's API remains in a free beta. The company says it isn't ready to announce how or when it plans to charge for Aristotle.
