Jeff Bezos's physical AI startup Prometheus raises $12 billion（約1.9兆円） to automate engineering work, positioning itself as one of the most richly valued AI companies ever.

What happened: Prometheus, co-founded by Jeff Bezos and Vik Bajaj (former co-founder of Verily, Google's life sciences unit), announced a $12 billion（約1.9兆円） funding round at a $41 billion（約6.6兆円） valuation. Backers include Bezos himself, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and BlackRock. This is the startup's second fundraise; it raised $6.2 billion（約9900億円） in its initial round late last year.

Why it matters: Prometheus is building software called an 'artificial general engineer' designed to automate the design and manufacturing of complex physical systems like jet engines and drug compounds. Bezos argues that AI productivity gains will create 'labor scarcity'—a world where demand for workers outpaces supply—rather than widespread job losses. This contrasts with other tech leaders' predictions of significant job displacement.

What to watch: At $41 billion（約6.6兆円）, Prometheus ranks among the most richly valued AI startups ever funded and represents one of the largest single bets on the physical AI sector. The company currently operates 150 employees across San Francisco, London, and Zurich, and Bezos indicated that a large portion of the new capital will fund the company's compute needs.