Renowned AI researcher Li Fei-Fei is to become chief scientist and an executive vice president at AMD after the chipmaker said it would buy Li’s start-up World Labs for $8.2 billion (£6.2 billion) in stock.
Li, a Stanford professor who has worked at Google, founded World Labs only two years ago to spearhead research into AI that interacts with the physical world.
The company’s models help train AI-powered agents or physical devices to interact with physical environments.
Physical AI
“Intelligent agents, whether it’s robots or vehicles or even tools, can learn inside very rich physics-aware digital worlds before they even need to be deployed into the real one, making them much safer,” Li said at a presentation earlier this year.
At the presentation, Li and AMD chief executive Lisa Su showed a World Labs model called Marble creating a three-dimensional environment based on several images.
In a statement, Li said World Labs would “continue building a world leading frontier research organization.”
Chip rivalry
AMD, which makes desktop and server processors, is also one of the main rivals challenging Nvidia in the market for the GPUs used to accelerate AI workloads.
The company is a previous investor in World Labs, as is Nvidia.
Its purchase of World Labs comes on the heels of Nvidia’s September agreement to purchase AI technology platform Hugging Face for $12.9 billion.
Key takeaways
AMD said it would buy World Labs for $8.2 billion (£6.2 billion) in stock, making the agreement a significant development in the company’s AI strategy. As part of the transaction, Li Fei-Fei is to become AMD’s chief scientist and an executive vice president.
Li founded World Labs two years ago. The start-up was created to lead research into AI that interacts with the physical world. Its work focuses on models that can help train AI-powered agents and physical devices to interact with physical environments.
The idea of “physical AI” is central to the announcement. Li described a process in which intelligent agents, including robots, vehicles and tools, can learn inside physics-aware digital worlds before being deployed in the real world. She said this could make those systems much safer.
The presentation involving Li and AMD chief executive Lisa Su demonstrated World Labs’ Marble model. The model created a three-dimensional environment from several images, illustrating the company’s focus on digital environments and physical-world interaction.
Li said World Labs would continue building a “world leading frontier research organization.” The statement indicates that the research organization and its work will remain an important part of the company following the purchase.
The agreement also connects World Labs with AMD’s wider position in the electronics and computing industry. AMD produces desktop and server processors and is one of the main rivals challenging Nvidia in the market for GPUs used to accelerate AI workloads.
AMD was already an investor in World Labs before announcing the purchase. Nvidia was also a previous investor in the start-up. The transaction therefore brings World Labs into AMD’s business after both major chip companies had invested in the company.
The announcement follows Nvidia’s September agreement to purchase AI technology platform Hugging Face for $12.9 billion. Together, the two transactions show the importance that major chip companies are placing on AI technology platforms and research organizations.
The development also highlights the close relationship between AI research, electronics and computing hardware. World Labs’ models focus on agents and physical devices, while AMD’s products include processors and GPUs used for computing and AI workloads. The purchase brings those areas together under AMD.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Li Fei-Fei?
Li Fei-Fei is a renowned AI researcher, a Stanford professor and a former Google worker. She founded World Labs two years ago.
What is World Labs?
World Labs is Li Fei-Fei’s start-up. It was founded to spearhead research into AI that interacts with the physical world.
What role will Li have at AMD?
Li is to become AMD’s chief scientist and an executive vice president.
How much will AMD pay for World Labs?
AMD said it would buy World Labs for $8.2 billion (£6.2 billion) in stock.
What does World Labs’ technology do?
The company’s models help train AI-powered agents or physical devices to interact with physical environments.
What is physical AI?
Physical AI refers in this article to AI that interacts with the physical world. Li described intelligent agents such as robots, vehicles and tools learning inside physics-aware digital worlds before being deployed in the real world.
What is Marble?
Marble is a World Labs model that Li and AMD chief executive Lisa Su showed at a presentation. It created a three-dimensional environment based on several images.
How is AMD involved in AI?
AMD makes desktop and server processors and is one of the main rivals challenging Nvidia in the market for GPUs used to accelerate AI workloads.
Did AMD already invest in World Labs?
Yes. AMD was a previous investor in World Labs, and Nvidia was also a previous investor.
What other AI transaction was mentioned?
Nvidia agreed in September to purchase AI technology platform Hugging Face for $12.9 billion.
Disclaimer: This article may have been created with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. It is provided for general informational purposes only. Readers should verify information independently before relying on this content.
