US-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology developer Sentient Technologies secured $103.5m yesterday in a series C round co-led by US-based conglomerate Access Industries and Tata Communications, a subsidiary of India-based conglomerate Tata.
The round also featured Horizons Ventures, the venture capital firm that led Sentient’s $38m series B round, and a group of undisclosed private investors. It brought the company’s total funding to $143m.
Founded in 2007, Sentient is deploying its technology on a large scale in an attempt to create the world’s most powerful AI system. Operating in stealth until now, the company has been testing its system in financial trading and medical research.
The funding will support an expansion of Sentient’s distributed artificial intelligence products.
Vinod Kumar, CEO of Tata Communications, said: “As an investor, we share a common vision on the transformative force that massively distributed computing and artificial intelligence can play in helping businesses get insights and solve their most complex big data problems.
“We see Sentient at the forefront of these technologies and bringing a disruptive approach to cloud based computing services. Furthermore, the scale of our leading global network infrastructure and data centre footprint also complements Sentient’s growth plans and will enable its global deployment.”