Key findings:
- Jeff Bezos becomes co-CEO of a new artificial intelligence startup called Prometheus, which aims to create artificial intelligence for the physical world.
- Prometheus will focus on integrating artificial intelligence with sectors such as manufacturing, robotics, heavy engineering, and anything industrial that runs on “atoms” rather than “bits.”
- Prometheus could be the US's answer to China's advanced integration of industrial robots and smart factories.
Jeff Bezos has taken on the role of co-CEO of a new artificial intelligence startup called Project Prometheus. Interestingly, this is Bezos' first management position since he stepped down as Amazon CEO in July 2021.
Project Prometheus describes itself as a company that specializes in “AI for the physical economy.” Simply put, Prometheus will focus on applying AI to industries that require advanced engineering and materials science.
This includes all manufacturing activities associated with the production of physical goods such as automobiles, electronics, heavy engineering, and aerospace.
Until now, the entire focus of artificial intelligence has been on “bits”, so we have several Large Language Models (LLM) today they are used for numerous chatbots and AI assistants.
However, Prometheus wants to focus on “AI for Atoms,” where artificial intelligence can be used to drive physics, automate factories, design physical systems, and reduce production time.
Prometheus makes its debut in the already crowded AI market, where several small and large players are vying to carve out a niche. However, one of the biggest advantages of Prometheus is the massive $6.2 billion in funding it received, much of it coming from Bezos himself. This makes it one of the most well-funded early-stage startups in the world.
For comparison: Periodic laboratoriesthe company, which aims to “automate scientific discovery” by focusing on physical artificial intelligence (much like Prometheus), raised $2 billion this year. So, of course, Prometheus' massive wallet gives it an edge over its competitors.
China's leadership in the physical artificial intelligence race
Although the US has tried to thwart China's growth in the AI sector through strict controls on the export of advanced AI-compatible semiconductor chips, the fact remains that China is significantly ahead of the US in terms of physical applications of AI.
Data from the International Federation of Robotics shows China ranks third on the list countries with the highest robot density. There are 470 robots per 10,000 employees in the country, which is more than 402 robots in 2022.
What is even more commendable is that China entered the top 10 only in 2019, surpassing countries like Japan and Germany in just 6 years. On the other hand, the US ranks 10th on the list with a density of only 295 robots.
High robot densities indicate a highly automated and productive manufacturing sector with relatively fewer defects and faster iteration cycles. Add in some artificial intelligence technology and you get smart factories with automated control systems, AI-based quality checks, predictive maintenance, and so on.
China also appears to have a large talent pool:
- China produces 1059 technical graduates. per million people (2025 estimate) compared to 403 in the US.
- Every year, China graduates more than 1.5 million bachelors of engineers, as well as 400 thousand masters and 60 thousand doctors of science. In contrast, the United States awards only 140,000 bachelor's degrees, 50,000 master's degrees, and 12,000 doctorates.
It's no surprise that America's top AI startups have to poach talent from other top companies, which is what Prometheus has done.
China has already surpassed the US in production to such an extent that it is now known as the factory of the world. It has left the US behind in areas such as advanced battery manufacturing, solar energy production, electric vehicle supply chains and robotics adoption.
Having lagged behind in the most important branches of the physical industry, the United States can now only catch up, and this is already a steep climb. Deploying physical artificial intelligence may be the only way to bring the US closer to China. But this is not an easy task in itself.
For example, Marques Brownleepopular technology commentator, talked about NEO, the most futuristic robot available in the US today. Although the company is positioning it as a smart robot, at the moment it is anything but smart or autonomous. It operates primarily on human command and performs only a few tasks without instructions.
Brownlee noted that “artificial intelligence companies” are currently only selling a dream before they've even fully built the product. They use early developers as beta testers, but the gap between the blueprints and the final product is now huge.
China is already introducing humanoid robots into advanced industrial applications. For example, UBTECH's Walker S2, China's most advanced humanoid robot, is capable of working around the clock and even replacing its own battery.
Compare that to the NEO's 4-hour battery life and telecommuting needs, and the gap is wider than most Americans would like to believe. UBTECH plans reached an annual capacity of 10,000 Walker S2. by 2027 for industrial use in smart factories, smart logistics and the automotive industry.
Bezos' critical role
If there is one person capable of leading such a Herculean effort, it is Jeff Bezos. His portfolio and experience can be the envy of even the brightest modern entrepreneurs.
Bezos built the world's largest logistics network, the world's most advanced warehouse system, rocket company Blue Origin, cloud computing giant AWS and robotics center Amazon Robotics. This is a solid resume.
Prometheus wants to create advanced physical stimulants, industrial-grade artificial intelligence systems and engineering automation tools, which Bezos has been doing for 30 years.
Most importantly, it attracts the enormous capital required for such a research operation. In addition to spending money out of his own pocket, Bezos's brand also helps attract top investors to the country, makes it easier to recruit top talent and reassures investors of the viability of the mission.
Vic Bajaj, another co-CEO of Prometheus, is also a very well-thought-out candidate for the position. While most AI leaders have backgrounds in machine learning and natural language processing, Bajaj has a background in bioinformatics, biophysics and molecular modeling.
He co-founded Google's Life Sciences division (which we now know as Verily), which conducts huge periods of research and development and integrates robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence and cloud systems.
Bezos is the face of the project, and Vik Bajaj brings the practical experience and technological know-how needed to tackle such a large business.
Unlike LLM-based AI startups, results in the physical AI space do not appear within six months or a year. The research and development and trial and error phase can last almost half a decade, if not more.
Such a capital-intensive and long-growing business requires the backing of someone who has been there before – and Bezos and Bajaj are ideally suited for this.
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