Sakana AI, a Tokyo-based startup co-founded by two renowned ex-Google engineers, recently secured a significant $30 million in seed funding from prominent technology investors. The company, established in 2020, aims to revolutionize the field of artificial intelligence by developing smaller, more efficient models inspired by nature.
Innovative Approach to AI
Sakana takes inspiration from collective behaviors observed in animal groups such as schools of fish and flocks of birds. Their belief is that smaller AI models, working together seamlessly, can outperform single massive models trained on extensive datasets. This approach sets Sakana apart from many leading AI labs that focus on scaling up models to achieve better results.
“Large models become inefficient as they balloon in size,” emphasizes the executives at Sakana. “On the other hand, smaller, specialized models have the ability to collaborate effectively, similar to groups of individuals with distinct skills outperforming lone experts in complex tasks.”
Impressive Investor Lineup
Lux Capital, known for investing in groundbreaking AI companies like Hugging Face, led the seed funding round for Sakana. The round also saw participation from Khosla Ventures, notable for its early investment in OpenAI. Additionally, major Japanese tech giants including Sony, NTT, and KDDI expressed their confidence in Sakana by joining the funding round.
“Sakana’s innovative vision and the impressive track record of its co-founders attracted top investors from Silicon Valley and Japan,” says an industry expert. “This funding will enable Sakana to expand its talented team and further develop its nature-inspired AI techniques.”
With the fresh infusion of capital and strategic partnerships, such as the collaboration with NTT, Sakana aims to enhance their research and development efforts. These developments position the company at the forefront of a new AI paradigm emerging from Asia, breaking the dominance of the U.S. and China in the field.
