Nvidia is backing MetAI, a Taiwanese startup that creates artificial intelligence-powered digital twins

Nvidia has doubled down on its ability to build robotics and other industrial AI applications. Comprehensive platform and latest Megathe Omniverse Blueprint framework to create digital twins to manage these programs. It also invests in digital twin startups to get the effort off the ground.

of Taiwan year Using artificial intelligence and 3D technology, it has developed a model that can quickly create “SimReady” (simulation-ready) digital twins by converting CAD files into functional 3D environments in minutes.

Now, Nvidia is backing MetAI in its first round of funding, the chip giant’s first investment in a Taiwanese startup worth $4 million. Others in the round are a mix of other strategic and financial investors, including Kenmec Mechanical Engineering, Solomo Technology, SparkLabs Taiwan, Addin Ventures and Upstream Ventures.

The next wave of artificial intelligence, known as generative physical AI, relies on physically accurate simulated environments to train and validate robots used in autonomous systems, building operational AI before deployment. MetAI claims the digital twins it helped create will be central to this effort.

“Digital twins have long been seen as a barrier to entry for physical AI due to the months or even years of effort required to develop,” MetAI CEO and co-founder Daniel Yu said in an interview.

MetAI focuses on AI-powered digital twins aligned to advanced semiconductor fabs, smart warehouses and automation. It also creates synthetic data in AI-powered digital twin environments.

Yu’s co-founder and CTO of MetAI, Renton Hsu, has a background in 3D engineering and artificial intelligence, and he first started working with digital twins when building the company’s AI software applications: using them as a practical solution in situations where customers were lacking. enough information to train their systems. He then realized he could apply the same to 3D systems, combining 3D technology with artificial intelligence to develop synthetic AI and 3D solutions, joining forces with Yu (who comes to the startup with experience in digital transformation projects) and a third co-founder, Dave. Liu (COO), to start MetAI.

The breakthrough was enough to win first place in aa competition run by Nvidia, making Hsu a “Jetson AI ambassador” for the country.

MetAI’s competitors are large and small companies that have built digital twin technologies for manufacturing. These include Siemens Digital Industries, Dassault Systemes, Hexagon AB, Duality AI and Intagles. There are many companies in the synthetic data sector, including Sky Engine and Scale AI.

MetAI believes it has a unique approach to all of this.

“Unlike competitors that prioritize operational efficiency or IoT integration, MetAI uses generative models and AI-based planning to create digital twins designed for physical AI training and application in real-world operations,” said Yu. “This approach not only accelerates the creation of digital twins, but also enables their direct use for advanced automation systems such as robotics, bridging the gap between simulation and reality.”

MetAI differentiates itself by producing artificial data in artificial intelligence-powered digital twin environments. This allows users to create customized synthetic data for specific operational requirements, making AI training and validation easier, Yu noted. “Instead of creating an isolated database, MetAI builds dynamic virtual worlds (ie, world simulators) – realistic virtual environments that work like the real world,” he said.

The two-year-old startup, whose products range from vertical AI agents to digital twins, has several customers and is already generating revenue from partnerships with businesses in the manufacturing and automation industries, and this year it expects to generate $3 in revenue. million from one project, Yu said. Revenue is derived from project-based revenue, product subscriptions, and license fees from ongoing developments.

“The integration of MetAI with NVIDIA Omniverse is a transformative step forward for industrial digital twins and physical artificial intelligence in simulations,” said Nico Caprez, Nvidia’s corporate development manager. “Their ability to create scalable environments for AI training will potentially set a new standard for industries from manufacturing to robotics.”

In 2023, MetAI partnered with Kenmec to create digital twins for automated warehouses. MetAI technology claims to dramatically reduce the time required for warehouse digital twin simulations from thousands of hours to just 3 minutes, resulting in significant savings in operational and inspection tasks.

With the latest funding, MetAI plans to expand its R&D team to more rapidly develop and implement go-to-market strategies to meet growing demand. In addition, the Taiwan-based startup intends to establish a US office and relocate its headquarters in the second half of 2025, Yu told TechCrunch.

“Taiwan serves as our testing ground, where we collaborate with Taiwanese industry leaders to integrate deep vertical knowledge into our models, ensuring our solutions are both robust and scalable,” said Liu. “Given its size and demand for simulation-based solutions, we are expanding into the US market due to high labor costs and operational complexity. Our expansion strategy is focused on providing both point solutions and end-to-end solutions, including SaaS offerings and vertical AI agents designed for rapid deployment in real-world scenarios within these industries.