Prometheus, the physical AI startup co-founded by Jeff Bezos and former Verily co-founder Vik Bajaj, has raised $12 billion in a Series B round, valuing the company at $41 billion. Backers include JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and BlackRock, with Bezos himself also participating. The raise follows the company's initial $6.2 billion launch round late last year, bringing total funding to over $18 billion.

The startup, which employs around 150 people across San Francisco, London, and Zurich, is building what it calls an "artificial general engineer" — AI capable of automating the design and manufacture of complex physical products, from jet engines to drug compounds. A large share of the capital will go toward compute.

Bezos has been characteristically bullish on the technology's societal impact, arguing that AI-driven productivity gains will raise living standards rather than eliminate jobs.