Co-founder Ilya Sutskever’s artificial intelligence startup Safe Superintelligence (SSI) is a nonprofit with a mission. He’s teamed up with Google Cloud to give an extra boost to the company’s powerful research programs. SSI suddenly came on the radar in June 2024. This audacious decision marks a big step in the right direction in the quest for safe, superintelligent AI systems. With an extraordinary backing of $1 billion from influential investors, SSI hopes to re-shape the AI landscape. Among its most famous supporters are Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global and SV Angel.
Sutskever, formerly of Google Brain where he studied neural networks extensively, is a respected figure in the AI community. As chief scientist at OpenAI, he was instrumental in shaping the organization. After a fall of relative calm at OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters, Sutskever sent new shockwaves in November 2023. Outside of OpenAI, he was deeply involved in the removal of CEO Sam Altman. He subsequently became part of an employee walkout that campaigned for Altman’s reinstatement. This step acknowledges his deep and abiding personal faith in the future of AI governance.
Our relationship with Google Cloud underpins everything we do here at SSI. The startup plans to use Google Cloud’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips to accelerate its research efforts. This partnership is significant as it means SSI will commit a substantial portion of its computing budget to Google Cloud. With this action, Google Cloud becomes SSI’s primary computing provider, solidifying their partnership.
This mission of SSI is simple yet powerful. According to a press release, Sutskever stated, “our mission, our name, and our entire product roadmap, because it is our sole focus.” This further highlights the company’s commitment to building AI systems capable of long-term safety research goals, including superintelligence.
Due to its significant financial resources and powerful coalition of support, SSI’s actions have gone largely unnoticed or unchallenged since its launch. The company’s roadmap includes ambitious projects to pioneer next-generation AI and related technologies. These innovations will further test the limits of intelligence, all while maintaining a commitment to safety above all else.
In a statement about the collaboration, a Google Cloud representative noted that this partnership will “accelerate its research and development efforts toward building a safe, superintelligent AI.” This affirmation reaffirms the urgency and importance of SSI’s work as our world shifts ever more toward AI technology and solutions.
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