Databricks, Perplexity co-founder pledges $100M on new fund for AI researchers

Andy Konwinski, a prominent computer scientist and co-founder of Databricks and Perplexity, has made headlines with the establishment of a new AI research institute called Laude. On Monday, he revealed that he is investing $100 million of his personal wealth to support this ambitious project. Rather than functioning solely as a traditional research lab, Laude is designed as a funding entity aimed at making strategic investments akin to grants. The institute’s board features notable figures from the AI landscape, including UC Berkeley professor Dave Patterson, Google chief scientist Jeff Dean, and Joelle Pineau, who serves as Meta's vice president of AI Research. In a significant move, Konwinski announced the institute's inaugural grant of $3 million per year over five years, which will serve as the cornerstone for the new AI Systems Lab at UC Berkeley. This lab, spearheaded by Ion Stoica, a well-respected figure in the tech community and director of the Sky Computing Lab, is set to open its doors in 2027. The mission of the Laude Institute, as articulated by Konwinski in his blog post, is to advance computer science research with a focus on producing beneficial outcomes. While this statement does not directly critique established organizations like OpenAI, which has shifted focus towards commercialization, it does highlight a broader concern in the field: the temptation for researchers to prioritize profit over pure scientific inquiry. Konwinski's approach distinguishes his institute from others with commercial interests by creating a dual structure: it operates as a nonprofit while also maintaining a public benefit corporation. He categorizes his research funding into two categories—'Slingshots' for early-stage research needing support and 'Moonshots' for long-term projects aiming to address significant challenges such as scientific discovery and healthcare. In addition to funding research, Laude is also a player in the venture capital space, having co-founded a for-profit fund set to launch in 2024, alongside former NEA VC Pete Sonsini. Laude recently led a $12 million investment in the AI startup Arcade and is actively seeking further investments from other successful technologists. Konwinski’s wealth, which allows him to pledge such a substantial amount, stems from Databricks' impressive growth, recently closing a funding round that valued the company at an astonishing $62 billion. Meanwhile, Perplexity also achieved a valuation of $14 billion last month. As the landscape of AI research becomes increasingly complex, the question arises: does the world need another initiative claiming to prioritize humanity's interests? The answer may lie in the potential for independent, beneficial research that could lead to meaningful commercial ventures in the future.