To reinvent physical AI training, NVIDIA-backed MetAI raised $4 M Seed funding
A $4 million seed funding round was successfully closed, according to MetAI, a Taiwanese startup that is leading the way in fusing industrial AI and 3D simulation technologies.
Among the investors are Upstream Ventures, Solomon Technology, NVIDIA, Addin Ventures, SparkLabs Taiwan, and Kenmec Mechanical Engineering.
According to a statement from the company, this milestone highlights MetAI’s critical role in developing physical AI and utilizing cutting-edge technologies to close the gap between simulation and reality.
With an emphasis on robotics applications, automated warehousing, and semiconductor manufacturing, the funding will help MetAI scale its engineering team, accelerate its R&D efforts, and enter the US market.
In order to train and validate robots, autonomous systems, and operational AI prior to deployment, the next wave of AI—often referred to as the revolution of physical AI or generative physical AI—heavily depends on physically realistic simulated environments.
The intricate and time-consuming process of producing realistic, functional digital twins has impeded the shift to physical AI and the creation of comprehensive world models.
MetAI claimed that its in-house generative model, a state-of-the-art technology that allows for the instantaneous creation of “SimReady (Simulation-Ready)” digital twins, solves this problem. MetAI’s technology enables companies to quickly implement accurate, scalable, and fully functional simulations by transforming CAD files into functional 3D environments in a matter of minutes.
“Developing physically accurate digital twins is seen as a barrier to entry for those looking to develop physical AI at scale,” said Daniel Yu, CEO and Co-founder of MetAI. “We’re changing that narrative by enabling businesses to instantly train AI systems—whether for robotics, logistics, or manufacturing—in physics-based virtual environments with unprecedented efficiency and scalability.”
In 2023, Kenmec Mechanical Engineering and MetAI collaborated to transform the development of automated warehouse digital twins. MetAI’s technology significantly reduced operational and verification efforts by cutting the time required for warehouse digital twin simulations from thousands of hours to just three minutes.
Real-world fidelity is achieved by the generated digital twins, thereby creating a warehouse world simulator—a dynamic virtual environment that replicates real-world operations. This allows for immediate throughput validation, optimization, and possible integration with AI agents to simulate and explore the world.
During this funding round, Kenmec became a major investor in MetAI due to the collaboration’s demonstrated value.
“MetAI is changing the automated industry with its digital twin and simulation technologies.” says Jonas Ko, President of Kenmec. “With their advanced technology combined with Kenmec’s leading automated solutions, we aim to work together to deliver the most optimal and efficient outcomes for end customers, accelerating the adoption and implementation of automation with unprecedented precision and speed, empowered by AI advancements.
