Physical Intelligence in Talks to Raise $1B at $11B Valuation — Valuation Doubles in 4 Months, Aims to Build 'ChatGPT for Robots'

San Francisco-based robotics AI startup Physical Intelligence is reportedly in talks to raise approximately $1 billion in a new funding round at a valuation exceeding $11 billion, as reported by TechCrunch and Bloomberg Law. This effectively doubles the company's $5.6 billion valuation from just four months prior.

Founded two years ago by AI academics and former Google DeepMind researchers, Physical Intelligence is developing general-purpose AI models designed to power robots capable of performing a wide array of tasks. Co-founder Sergey Levine described the company's ambitious goal as creating a 'ChatGPT for robots.' As of January 2026, the company employed approximately 80 people and had raised over $1 billion in total.

Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and Lightspeed Venture Partners are expected to participate as new investors, with returning investors Thrive Capital and Lux Capital also contributing. The previous round raised $600 million. Notably, co-founder Lachy Groom has stated that the company has no immediate timeline for commercialization, emphasizing a research-intensive approach focused on advancing core technology.

If successful, this would represent one of the largest investments in the robotics sector in recent years, reflecting growing investor confidence in foundational AI models for physical-world applications. The technology has the potential to accelerate automation across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and domestic assistance industries.