Andy Konwinski Launches $100M AI Fund Backing UC Berkeley Research
Databricks co-founder Andy Konwinski pledges $100M to fund AI researchers through the Laude Institute and UC Berkeley’s new AI Systems Lab.
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Andy Konwinski Launches $100M AI Fund Backing UC Berkeley Research Andy Konwinski's $100M AI Research Fund: A Major Boost for UC Berkeley and the AI Community Artificial intelligence research just got a major vote of confidence. Andy Konwinski, co-founder of Databricks and Perplexity, has pledged $100 million of his personal wealth to launch a new initiative that supports independent AI research. The new organization, known as the Laude Institute, aims to foster long-term innovation in AI by funding researchers and academic labs instead of commercial ventures. This announcement has made waves in the AI community, as many search for answers about who’s funding AI development in 2025, how research is being shaped, and whether institutions can still focus on public-good science over commercial gain. With the first major grant already committed to UC Berkeley, this AI fund is poised to shift the landscape of machine learning research in a big way. Image Credits:Getty Images Focus on AI Research Funding Through the Laude Insti…
