AI-powered search engine Perplexity has reportedly closed a $500 million funding spherical, valuing the startup at $9 billion.
Bloomberg, citing sources acquainted, studies that the spherical was led by Institutional Venture Partners, and that it closed earlier in December. In an e-mail to TechCrunch, a Perplexity spokesperson declined to remark.
The mammoth tranche comes because the competitors in AI-powered search heats up. OpenAI lately launched ChatGPT Search, its reply to Perplexity. And Google is growing capabilities to rival a few of what Perplexity provides, together with AI-generated summaries and solutions on search outcomes pages.
This week, The Information reported that Google is planning to take a extra aggressive transfer, doubtlessly constructing a chatbot-like “AI mode” immediately into Google Search.
Perplexity isn’t resting on its laurels — even because it battles a category motion lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement. On Wednesday, the corporate made its first acquisition, snatching up a startup, Carbon, specializing in connecting AI techniques to exterior knowledge sources.
