Bright Machines
 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, robotics, manufacturing |
| Founded | May 2018 Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | 2445 16th Street San Francisco, CA 94103 |
Key people |
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Number of employees | 200 (2024) |
| Website | brightmachines |
Bright Machines is a software and robotics company, providing a full-stack automation solution for manufacturing. Headquartered in San Francisco, Bright Machines’ flexible automated assembly and disassembly specializes in building the AI backbone – AI hardware infrastructure, such as CPU- and GPU-based servers, data storage devices, back-up energy storage, and more.[1]
History
[edit]Bright Machines was founded in May 2018 as a spin-off of Flex Ltd., initially operating under the stealth startup name AutoLabs AI. In October 2018, the company rebranded as Bright Machines and raised $179 million in a Series A funding round led by Eclipse Ventures.
In October 2022, the company announced a $100 million Series B funding round led by Eclipse Ventures, along with an additional $32 million in debt financing led by Silicon Valley Bank and Hercules Capital.[2]
In June 2024, the company raised $126 million in Series C funding, with $106 million in equity led by investments from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, with participation from NVIDIA, Microsoft, Eclipse, Jabil, and Shinhan Securities, and $20 million in venture debt from J.P. Morgan.[3]
Partnerships
[edit]Bright Machines has recently announced several key strategic partnerships. In March 2024, the company joined the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD), an initiative to advance the development and adoption of Universal Scene Description technology, founded by NVIDIA, Autodesk, Apple, Adobe, and Pixar Animation Studios.[4] In May 2024, Bright Machines announced its collaboration with Microsoft to digitally transform manufacturing by integrating its software and robotics with Azure's cloud infrastructure.[5]
Products
[edit]Bright Machines' product offerings include:
- Smart Robotics: Bright Machines' automated assembly lines, known as Microfactories, comprise Bright Robotic Cells (BRCs) and robotic hardware, programmed for automated assembly tasks. Bright Machines also offers manual stations designed with automated inspection capabilities.
- AI-driven Software: Bright Machines' software tools power Microfactory automation flexibility and aggregated data insights. Bright Machines' software includes the Brightware Studio development environment, the Brightware Platform operating system, and Brightware Insights Applications for production insights. Bright Machines is also currently developing a Design for Automated Assembly (DFAA) offering for launch by 2025.
Bright Machines’ proprietary software technology, Smart Skills, provides unique capabilities to execute adaptable 3D navigation during the assembly process and conduct machine learning-based inspection for quality control and review pre- or post-assembly.
References
[edit]- ^ "Our Assembly & Disassembly Solutions". August 2024.
- ^ "Bright Machines Raises $132M in New Funding to Expand Intelligent Automation in Manufacturing". October 31, 2022.
- ^ "AI-focused manufacturing startup raises $106 million, from Nvidia and others". Reuters. June 25, 2024.
- ^ "Alliance for OpenUSD launches new standards working groups for interoperable 3D". March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Bright Machines Collaborates with Microsoft Azure to Deliver Software-Defined Manufacturing". May 9, 2024.
- 2018 establishments in California
- Companies based in San Francisco
- Corporate spin-offs
- Software companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Software companies established in 2018
- Manufacturing companies established in 2018
- American companies established in 2018
- Software companies of the United States
- Robotics companies of the United States