Nvidia has doubled down on the opportunity to create robotics and other industrial AI applications. All of them platform and recently MegaAn Omniverse Blueprint framework to create digital twins to run these applications. It also invests in digital twin startups to get the effort off the ground.
Taiwan A year Using AI and 3D technology, we developed “SimReady” (simulation-ready) digital twins that can be rapidly manufactured by converting CAD files into functional 3D environments in minutes.
Nvidia is now backing MetAI in its first round of funding, a $4 million seed round that marks the chip giant's first investment in a Taiwanese startup. Others in the circle were Kenmec Mechanical Engineering; Solomo technology; SparkLabs Taiwan; Other strategic and financial investors are in the mix, including Addin Ventures and Upstream Ventures.
The next wave of AI, known as Generative Physical AI, is based on physically accurate simulated environments to train and validate robots used in autonomous systems to build practical AI. MetAI claims the digital twins it helped create are central to that effort.
Daniel Yu, CEO and co-founder of MetAI, said, “Digital twins have long been seen as a barrier to entry for physical AI due to the months or years of effort required for development.
MetAI advanced semiconductor fabs; Focuses on AI-powered digital twins tailored to smart warehouses and automation. It also generates integrated data within AI-enabled digital twin environments.
Renton Hsu, Yu's co-founder and MetAI's CTO, has a background in 3D engineering and AI, and first had the opportunity to work with digital twins while building enterprise AI software applications: using them as a practical solution in situations where customers didn't. enough data to train their systems. He then realized that he could combine the same 3D technology in 3D systems and work with Yu (a startup founder with experience in digital transformation projects) and a third co-founder, Dave, to develop 3D solutions with synthetic AI. Liu (COO) to start MetAI.
The achievements won first place in the aa competition run by Nvidia, and Hsu became the “Jetson AI ambassador” for the country.
MetAI's competitors are a range of large and small companies that have developed digital twin technologies for manufacturing. They include Siemens Digital Industries; Dassault Systemes; Hexagon AB, Includes Duality AI and Intagles. There are several companies in the integrated data sector, including Sky Engine and Scale AI.
MetAI believes it has a unique approach compared to all of them.
“Unlike competitors that prioritize operational efficiency or IoT integration, MetAI leverages next-generation models and AI-driven themes to create digital twins designed for physical AI training and implementation in real-world operations,” said Yu. “This approach not only accelerates the creation of digital twins, but also ensures their direct applicability to advanced automation systems such as robotics, bridging the gap between simulation and reality.”
MetAI differentiates itself by generating artificial data within its AI-enabled digital twin environments. Yu noted that it facilitates AI training and validation, and enables users to generate composite data customized for specific operational needs. “Instead of creating discrete datasets, MetAI builds dynamic virtual worlds (ie, world simulators) — realistic virtual environments that look like the real world,” he said.
The two-year-old startup, whose products range from vertical AI agents to digital twins, has a handful of clients and is already generating revenue by partnering with businesses in the manufacturing and automation industries, and expects to raise $3 this year. Ma Than Thanyu said from a single project. Income is project-based income; He added that licensing fees come from product subscriptions and ongoing development.
“The integration of MetAI with NVIDIA Omniverse represents a transformative step forward in mapping industrial digital twins and physical AI,” said Nico Caprez, corporate development manager at Nvidia, in a statement. “The ability to create scalable environments for AI training will set a new standard for industries from manufacturing to robotics.”
In 2023, MetAI partnered with Kenmec to create digital twins for automated warehouses. MetAI's technology is said to have reduced the time required for warehouse digital double matching from thousands of hours to just 3 minutes, resulting in significant savings in operational and verification activities.
With the latest funding, MetAI plans to expand its R&D team to more quickly develop and implement its go-to-market strategies to meet growing demand. Additionally, the Taiwan-based startup intends to set up a US office and move its headquarters in the second half of 2025, Yu told TechCrunch.
“Taiwan serves as our testing ground. We partner with Taiwanese industry leaders to integrate deep vertical knowledge into our models, ensuring our solutions are both robust and scalable,” said Liu. “Due to its size and demand for simulation solutions, we are expanding into the US market due to high labor costs and operational complexity. Our expansion strategy is focused on providing both point solutions and end-to-end solutions, including SaaS offerings and vertical AI agents designed for rapid implementation in real-world scenarios within this industry.”