[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] British artificial intelligence (AI) startup CuspAI has raised $450 million (about 666 billion won) and will work with Nvidia to discover new materials for next-generation semiconductors.

CNBC reported on Sunday that the investment values CuspAI at $2.6 billion. Investors included Jeff Bezos' investment firm Bezos Expeditions, Kleiner Perkins, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Greenoaks Capital Partners, Lux Capital, AMD Ventures and the UK Sovereign AI Venture Fund.

CuspAI also launched an "AI Materials Foundry" that collaborates with global companies and research institutions including Nvidia.

The company's core technology uses AI to simulate the properties of new materials in advance and select only candidate substances that require real-world experiments.

In semiconductors, clean energy and advanced manufacturing, vast combinations must be tested to find new materials with the desired performance. CuspAI's strategy is to use AI to sharply narrow the search range and shorten development time and costs.

Josh Coyne (조시 코인), a partner at investor Kleiner Perkins, said most technological innovation ultimately starts with new materials. He explained that many fields are waiting for materials yet to be discovered, from low-cost carbon capture to next-generation semiconductors and clean water production technologies. He said CuspAI could serve as a new search engine to find such materials.

The newly launched AI Materials Foundry is a research platform that links data, laboratories, computing resources and a network of scientists into one. Nvidia is one of 45 institutions participating in the network and will provide accelerated computing infrastructure. Meta's fundamental AI research organisation will also participate and is expected to support AI models and scientific research.

Chad Edwards (채드 에드워즈), CuspAI's chief executive officer, said that in an era when AI changes the physical world, new materials will be a key factor driving innovation in semiconductors, energy and advanced manufacturing. He said he expects the AI Materials Foundry to combine Nvidia's computing infrastructure with expertise in chemistry and materials to significantly increase the pace of next-generation materials discovery.

The announcement also aligns with a trend of AI companies expanding beyond software into solving difficult problems in physical industries. CuspAI is cited as a leading example focused on AI-driven materials discovery. The company is setting up a new base in Singapore and is expanding its research organisation to Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and the United States.

Bezos' participation is also drawing market attention. CNBC reported that Prometheus, an AI research company founded by Bezos, launched in 2025 to develop AI for invention and physical engineering. It is valued at $41 billion and has raised $12 billion in funding.

The industry is watching how much CuspAI can shorten materials development timelines in the semiconductor and energy industries, and whether the AI Materials Foundry can turn the global research network into tangible results.