Emerald AI, a San Francisco-based startup, has raised $2 billion in Series C funding to build fully autonomous scientific laboratories powered by artificial intelligence.
Robot Scientists
The company's labs use AI systems that can design experiments, operate lab equipment, analyze results, and iterate on hypotheses without human intervention. Early labs have already produced three publishable discoveries in materials science.
Investor Confidence
The round was led by Sequoia Capital and SoftBank Vision Fund, reflecting growing confidence in AI's ability to accelerate scientific discovery.
- First autonomous lab operational in Palo Alto
- 10 new labs planned across the US and Europe
- Target: 100 discoveries per lab per year
Critics warn about the implications of removing human oversight from the scientific process.
