Introduction: A Historic Week for AI Investments
The second week of January 2026 will go down in the annals of artificial intelligence funding. In just 7 days, over $25 billion was injected into AI startups, shattering all previous records.
This phenomenon reveals a fundamental trend: investors are betting massively on AI as the technological revolution of the century. But behind these astronomical figures lie very different strategies: robotics, specialized chips, military defense, brain-computer interfaces...
In this article, I break down the 10 major AI funding rounds of January 2026, with amounts, valuations, investors, and what this means for the sector's future.
Key Takeaways: 3 companies (xAI, Anthropic, Skild AI) capture 95% of capital. Robotics is exploding. Alternative hardware to Nvidia attracts investors. Defense is being militarized with AI. Valuations reach historic levels.
Summary Table: The 10 Record AI Funding Rounds of January 2026
Here's a complete overview of the most significant rounds:
| Startup | Amount | Valuation | Lead Investor | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| xAI | $20B | $230B | Nvidia, Cisco | LLM / AGI |
| Anthropic | $10B (ongoing) | $350B | To be confirmed | LLM / Safety |
| Skild AI | $1.4B | $14B | SoftBank | Robotics |
| Etched.ai | $500M | $5B | Thrive Capital | AI Hardware |
| Cyera | $400M | $9B | Blackstone | Data Security |
| Parloa | $350M | $3B | General Catalyst | Conversational AI |
| Merge Labs | $252M | $850M | OpenAI | Brain Interface |
| Harmattan AI | $200M | $1.4B | Dassault | Defense Drones |
| LMArena | $150M | $1.7B | a16z | LLM Evaluation |
| Deepgram | $130M | $1.3B | Insight Partners | Voice AI |
1. xAI (Elon Musk): $20 Billion - The Largest Private Round in History
xAI, the artificial intelligence startup founded by Elon Musk in 2023, just pulled off a masterstroke with a $20 billion funding round. This operation values the company at $230 billion, a 4.6x multiplication in just one year.
Who Invested?
- Nvidia and Cisco as lead investors
- a16z (Andreessen Horowitz)
- Sequoia Capital
- Sovereign wealth funds from Qatar and Abu Dhabi
What Will the Money Be Used For?
xAI plans to use these funds to quadruple the capacity of its Colossus supercomputer, already the most powerful in the world for AI training. The goal: achieve AGI (artificial general intelligence) before its competitors.
Context: xAI is behind Grok, the chatbot integrated into X (formerly Twitter). Unlike OpenAI, xAI takes a less restrictive approach to generated content.
Why This Is Significant
This funding round positions xAI as OpenAI's number one competitor. With Nvidia as an investor, xAI secures priority access to the most powerful GPUs on the market. The race to AGI intensifies.
2. Anthropic: $10 Billion in Negotiation - $350 Billion Valuation
Anthropic, creator of Claude (the AI you might be using to read this article), is currently negotiating a $10 billion raise that would value it at $350 billion.
What This Represents
- Valuation higher than xAI ($230B)
- 3x multiplication since the last raise (2024)
- Highest valuation for a "safety-first" AI startup
Anthropic distinguishes itself with its AI safety-focused approach. Its Claude models are recognized for their ability to refuse dangerous requests while remaining extremely performant.
3. Skild AI: $1.4 Billion - The Universal Robotic Brain
Skild AI may be the most fascinating startup on this list. Founded by Carnegie Mellon researchers, it develops a "universal robotic brain" capable of controlling any type of robot.
The Revolutionary Concept
Today, each robot requires specific programming. Skild AI wants to create a single foundation model for robotics: one AI brain capable of adapting to any robotic body, whether it's an industrial arm, drone, or humanoid robot.
Funding Details
- Amount: $1.4 billion
- Valuation: $14 billion (3x in 7 months!)
- Lead investor: SoftBank Vision Fund
- Other investors: Lightspeed, Coatue, Jeff Bezos
+ Potential
- Exploding robotics market
- Unique "foundation model" approach
- World-class team
- SoftBank backing (robotics expert)
- Risks
- Still experimental technology
- Competition from Tesla Bot, Figure
- Very aggressive valuation
4. Etched.ai: $500M - The Nvidia Alternative
Etched.ai develops Sohu, a specialized chip for large language model (LLM) inference. Its promise: to be 20 times faster than Nvidia's H100 for running models like GPT-4 or Claude.
Why This Is Strategic
Nvidia dependency is the Achilles heel of the AI industry. Nvidia GPUs are permanently out of stock and their prices are skyrocketing. A performant alternative could reshuffle the cards.
Funding Details
- Amount: $500 million (Series B)
- Valuation: $5 billion
- Investors: Thrive Capital, Primary Venture Partners
5. Cyera: $400M - Data Security in the AI Era
Cyera tackles a critical problem: how do you protect sensitive data when it's used to train AI models? With data breach scandals multiplying, the market is huge.
Funding Details
- Amount: $400 million
- Valuation: $9 billion
- Lead investor: Blackstone
6. Parloa: $350M - Conversational AI for Enterprises
German startup Parloa automates call centers with sophisticated conversational AI. Its technology can handle complete phone calls, understand accents, and solve complex problems without human intervention.
Funding Details
- Amount: $350 million (Series C)
- Valuation: $3 billion
- Lead investor: General Catalyst
Parloa illustrates a strong trend: AI automation of customer services. Millions of call center jobs could be impacted in the coming years.
7. Merge Labs: $252M - Competing with Neuralink
Merge Labs develops non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCI). Unlike Elon Musk's Neuralink which implants chips in the brain, Merge uses external sensors to read brain activity.
The Highlight
OpenAI led this funding round. This is a strong signal: the creators of ChatGPT are interested in direct AI integration with the human brain.
Funding Details
- Amount: $252 million
- Valuation: $850 million
- Lead investor: OpenAI (via its investment fund)
8. Harmattan AI: $200M - French Defense AI
Harmattan AI is the French gem on this list. This Paris-based startup develops autonomous defense drones capable of making real-time tactical decisions using AI.
Funding Details
- Amount: $200 million
- Valuation: $1.4 billion
- Lead investor: Dassault Aviation
- Other investors: Bpifrance, European defense funds
Geopolitical Context: The war in Ukraine has accelerated the adoption of autonomous drones. European armies are investing massively in defense AI to reduce their dependence on American technologies.
9. LMArena: $150M - The LLM Referee
LMArena (formerly LMSYS) is the global reference for evaluating and comparing language models. Its "Chatbot Arena" ranking is followed by all industry players.
Funding Details
- Amount: $150 million
- Valuation: $1.7 billion
- Lead investor: a16z (Andreessen Horowitz)
10. Deepgram: $130M - The Voice of AI
Deepgram specializes in AI transcription and voice synthesis. Their "Voice AI" models allow creating ultra-realistic voice assistants and transcribing audio in real-time with accuracy exceeding human levels.
Funding Details
- Amount: $130 million
- Valuation: $1.3 billion
- Lead investor: Insight Partners
Analysis: 5 Key Trends in AI Investments 2026
These funding rounds reveal fundamental trends that will structure the AI industry in the coming years:
1. Extreme Capital Concentration
3 companies capture 95% of amounts raised (xAI, Anthropic, Skild AI). The AI sector is polarizing between a few mega-players and dozens of smaller startups. The era of "unicorns" gives way to "decacorns."
2. AI Robotics Explosion
Skild AI's raise ($1.4B) confirms that robotics is the next major battleground. Tesla, Figure, Boston Dynamics... all are investing massively. The "universal robotic brain" could be the next revolution after LLMs.
3. Search for Nvidia Alternatives
Etched's raise ($500M) shows investors are betting on alternatives to the Nvidia monopoly. Specialized inference chips could reduce LLM operating costs by 90%.
4. Accelerated AI Militarization
Harmattan AI (drones) and other defense startups not mentioned here show that AI is becoming a national sovereignty issue. Defense budgets are increasing worldwide.
5. Human-Machine Interface: The Next Frontier
OpenAI's investment in Merge Labs signals growing interest in brain-computer interfaces. The next decade could see the emergence of direct communications between the brain and AI.
Valuations: Bubble or New Normal?
| Startup | Current Valuation | 1-Year Change |
|---|---|---|
| xAI | $230B | x4.6 |
| Anthropic | $350B (target) | x3 |
| Skild AI | $14B | x3 (in 7 months) |
| Etched | $5B | x2.5 |
These valuation multiples are reminiscent of the 2000 internet bubble. However, the major difference is that AI is already generating significant revenue: OpenAI has exceeded $3 billion in annual revenue, and growth continues.
FAQ: Your Questions About AI Funding 2026
Q1: How much was raised in AI funding in January 2026?
A: Over $25 billion was raised in a single week of January 2026, an absolute record for the artificial intelligence sector. xAI alone captured $20 billion.
Q2: What is the biggest AI funding round of 2026?
A: xAI, Elon Musk's startup, completed the largest round with $20 billion, bringing its valuation to $230 billion. It's the largest private funding round in tech history.
Q3: What is Skild AI and why did it raise $1.4 billion?
A: Skild AI develops a universal robotic brain capable of controlling any robot. Founded by Carnegie Mellon researchers, it raised $1.4 billion with SoftBank, valuing the company at $14 billion.
Q4: Why is Etched.ai important for AI?
A: Etched.ai develops Sohu, a specialized chip for LLM inference that is reportedly 20 times faster than Nvidia's H100. Its $500 million raise shows interest in Nvidia alternatives.
Q5: What are the AI investment trends in 2026?
A: Major trends include: capital concentration on leaders, AI robotics explosion, search for Nvidia hardware alternatives, militarization of AI for defense, and emergence of brain-computer interfaces.
Q6: What is Anthropic's valuation in 2026?
A: Anthropic is currently negotiating a $10 billion raise that would value the company at $350 billion, placing it ahead of xAI in terms of valuation.
Q7: Who funds AI startups in 2026?
A: The main investors are Nvidia, SoftBank, a16z, General Catalyst, and sovereign wealth funds (Qatar, Abu Dhabi). We also see industrial investors like Dassault for Harmattan AI.
Q8: Which French AI startups are raising funds?
A: Harmattan AI, a French startup specializing in autonomous defense drones, raised $200 million with Dassault as lead investor, valuing the company at $1.4 billion.
Conclusion: What to Take Away from These Record AI Funding Rounds?
January 2026 marks a turning point in the history of artificial intelligence investments. With over $25 billion raised in one week, the sector reaches unprecedented funding levels.
Key takeaways:
- The race to AGI intensifies between xAI and OpenAI/Anthropic
- AI robotics is the next mega-market
- Nvidia's monopoly is challenged by new specialized chips
- Defense AI becomes a major geopolitical issue
- Brain-computer interfaces are moving beyond science fiction
For observers and industry professionals, these funding rounds are a clear signal: AI is no longer a promise, it's a massive economic reality. The coming months will be decisive in seeing how these billions will be deployed.
Which funding round impressed you the most? Skild AI and its robotic brain, or Etched and its anti-Nvidia chip? Let me know in the comments!