Databricks, Perplexity co-founder pledges $100M on new fund for AI researchers

Andy Koninski, the computer world and the co -founder of Databricks and Perplexity, announced on Monday that his company, Laude, is a new institute for research from artificial intelligence supported by $ 100 million of his money.

The Laude Institute works less as an Amnesty International Research Laboratory and more like a fund that is looking to make investments a similar organization for grants. In addition to Konwinski, the Institute’s Board of Directors includes Professor UC Berkelegian Dave Patterson (known as a series of award -winning research), Jeff Dean (known as the Gogle Senior Scholars), and Joel Pineau (Meta’s Ai Research).

Konwinski has announced the first and “leading” institute grant of $ 3 million annually for a period of five years, which will prove the new artificial intelligence systems laboratory at the University of California in Berkeley. This is a new laboratory led by one of the most famous researchers in Berkeley, Ion Stoika, the current director of the Sky Computing Lab Laboratory. Stoica is also a co -founder of Startup Anyscale (AI and Python) and Databricks Ai Big Data Company, both of which were designed from TECH developed in the Berkeley Laboratory system.

The new artificial intelligence systems laboratory is to be opened in 2027, in addition to Stoica, which will include a number of other well -known researchers.

In his blog that announced the institute, Konwinski described his mission as “built by researchers in computer science … We are present to stimulate the work that does not push the field forward but rather guides it towards more useful results.”

This is not necessarily a direct excavation in Openai, which started as an Amnesty International research facility, and now, it can be said that it is consumed by its huge trade side. But other researchers fell prey to the temptation of money as well.

For example, the famous EPOCH researcher EPOCH faced controversy when it revealed that Openai supported the creation of one of the artificial intelligence standards that was then used to detect the new O3. Epoch founder also launched a startup with a controversial mission to replace all human workers everywhere with artificial intelligence factors.

Like other artificial intelligence research organizations with commercial ambitions, Konwinski has organized its cross -border institute: as a non -profit organization with an operating company of public benefits.

He divides his research investments into two signs he calls “Slingshots and Moonshots”. Slingshots is dedicated to research in the early stage that can benefit from grants and practical assistance. Moonshots, as the name suggests, for “long horizon laboratories that address challenges at the level of species such as artificial intelligence for scientific discovery, civil discourse, health care, and the workforce of workforce.”

His laboratory, for example, collaborated with the “Peripheral Station Engine”, a standard led by Stanford on how AI agents, used by humans.

One thing should be noticed, Konwinski’s efforts under the name “Laude” are not just a grant for giving research research. He also participated in the establishment of a profit project that was launched in 2024. The co -founder of the Fund Nea VC Pete Sonsini tells us, and a spokesman for Laude tells us that she has more than 50 senior researchers in LPS in the box. As TECHCRUNCH previously reported, Laud has led a $ 12 million investment at Ai Agent Infrastructure Arcade. You have calmly supported other startups.

A Laude spokesman tells us that although Konwinski has pledged $ 100 million, he is looking for investment from other successful technicians. Regarding how Konwinski raised enough wealth enough to ensure $ 100 million to this new endeavor: Databricks closed a $ 15.3 billion financing round in January, which is estimated at $ 62 billion. Al -Hirah last month got a rating of $ 14 billion, too.

Does the world really need more “Amnesty International” research from artificial intelligence or other INSIs? No, yes.

Artificial Intelligence Research has become increasingly confused. For example, artificial intelligence standards are designed to demonstrate that a specific seller model works better these days. (Even Salesforce has its LLM standard for CRMS.)

An alliance that includes the likes of Konwinski, Dean and Stoica support really independent research that can one day turn into an independent and independent trade of man, can be an attractive alternative.

Note: This story has been updated to reflect more joint details about the Laude VC box.