Welcome, humans.

Want to see a BONKERS chart? 

According to Epoch AI, NVIDIA’s total installed compute power is doubling every 10 months.

Here's a mind-bending way to think about it: In just 10 months, NVIDIA will produce more computing power than ALL of its previous GPUs combined. And then 10 months after that, they'll do it again.

Fun fact: I tried explaining this exponential growth to my mom using the old “folding paper” example, but this is way better—imagine if your salary doubled every 10 months! Here’s how long o1-Pro says that would take to surpass Elon’s net worth…

Here’s what you need to know about AI today:

• Figure AI could raise $1.5B for its humanoid robots.

• The NYT will use AI now.

• Musk livestreamed Grok 3.

• AI now reads animal pain through facial scanning.

Are humanoid robots about to become the next big thing?

Investors are betting big on humanoid robots, and the latest proof is a massive new funding round for Silicon Valley startup Figure AI.

A few days ago, Bloomberg reported the humanoid robot company backed by OpenAI could raise $1.5B at a $39B+ valuation—that's 15x higher than its previous round just months ago, btw. 

For those counting at home, that’s language model money right there!

What impresses us most about Figure? They're already generating revenue. In a space full of fancy demos and future promises, they've got robots working in real factories. That might explain that wild valuation jump. 

But Figure isn't alone. In the last week:

• Apptronik secured $350M from B Capital and Alphabet for its Apollo robot.

• Meta announced a new robotics team led by ex-Cruise exec Marc Whitten.

• Apple's robot efforts got leaked (they're working on both humanoid and non-humanoid designs).

• Unitree showed off its upgraded G1 robot with improved mobility—and by mobility, we mean dance.

The stakes? Elon Musk said Thursday that humanoid robots will create “quasi-infinite products and services” and could make money meaningless (classic Elon).

But there might be something to his excitement—Figure has already sold robots to BMW and claims it could ship 100,000 units to customers in the next four years. And Goldman Sachs Research thinks humanoid robots could be a $38T market by 2035.

Here's where each player stands:

Figure AI is the current darling, with that eye-popping $39.5B valuation just weeks after severing ties with OpenAI. They're focused on commercial and home use, and already have real customers buying robots (BMW signed on, and they booked a second major customer that is “one of the biggest U.S. companies.”

Apptronik is taking a more focused approach. Their humanoid robot Apollo is designed specifically for supply chains—think moving packages in warehouses. They've got partnerships with some heavy hitters, too: Google DeepMind, Mercedes-Benz, and logistics firm GXO.

Meta's going a different route. Rather than build their own robots, they want to develop the AI, sensors, and software that other companies can use to make robots (think Android, but for humanoids). They're already talking to both Unitree and Figure.

Unitree just released what they're calling an “agile upgrade” to their G1 humanoid robot, showing it navigating tough inclines and jogging over rough terrain. They claim it's the “smoothest humanoid robot yet,” which could make them an interesting partner for Meta's AI ambitions.

We’ve covered Apple’s robot dreams before, but the first might be a table-top robot with an iPad-style display and robotic arm (coming 2026-2027). Their humanoid project is still in early "proof-of-concept" stages.

Our take: 2025 is shaping up to be the year humanoid robots go from sci-fi to reality. We've got:

• Serious funding ($1.5B for Figure, $350M for Apptronik).

• Real customers (BMW, Mercedes, unnamed but probably Walmart company).

• Major tech players jumping in (Meta, Apple).

• Working robots with impressive capabilities (Unitree's smooth movements, Figure's factory deployments).

The big question: Which approach wins? Figure's full-stack solution, Apptronik's focused use-case, Meta's operating system play, Unitree's agility innovations, or Apple's secretive projects? Let’s also not forget Amazon, with its Digit warehouse robot, who thinks warehouse automation could save it $10B a year by 2030.

FROM OUR PARTNERS

💼 Want to become an AI Consultant?

This stat is WILD: The AI consulting market is projected to explode from $6.9 billion to $54.7 billion by 2032. Want to capture this opportunity?

So how do you, an AI enthusiast, become a handsomely compensated AI consultant?

Well, The AI Consultancy Project from Innovating with AI has already helped 300+ students build successful consulting businesses. 

Current students love:

• Tools and frameworks to find and serve clients.

• 6-month roadmap to building a 6-figure business.

• Methods to land your first client in as little as 3 days.

As a Neuron reader, you get early access to the next enrollment cycle!

Take advantage of the AI boom—request early access to The AI Consultancy Project ASAP!

Prompt Tip of the Day

Want to learn how to use Claude instead of ChatGPT? This video from Jeff Su is a great overview of how and why he uses Claude (and WHAT he uses Claude to do).

The TL;DR: He uses Projects to set up a “home base” document at the project level, then creates separate chats that all reference that same document but handle different specific tasks.

It's like having one source of truth that feeds into multiple outputs, without having to reload or risk mixing up contexts (we do this too!)

Treats To Try.

1. *Galileo just dropped a massive (100-page!) guide all about how to build more reliable agents that actually do what they're supposed to do. Get the free ebook.

2. Mistral Saba helps you write authentic content in Arabic and South Asian languages and is small enough to run locally.

3. Lora lets you add offline language processing to your mobile apps in one line of code.

4. Breyta helps you analyze multiple research files at once and shows you key findings with supporting evidence.

5. Animate Anyone 2 brings your photos to life by making characters realistically interact with objects and environments in videos (paper).

See our top 51 AI Tools for Business here!

*This is sponsored content. Advertise in The Neuron here.

Around the Horn.

• The NY Times will now use an internal AI tool called Echo to write social copy, SEO headlines, and even some code—eventually, its AI use will include digitally voiced articles and article translation, too.

• Researchers are using AI to scan animal faces to instantly detect pain and emotions more accurately than humans can.

• Elon hosted a livestream to release Grok 3 yesterday, but it will be in beta mode for at least a week.

Tuesday Ticker

Here are the results from last week’s polls (interesting insights from all three):

• J.V. chose Gemini app: “AI studio is a well-guarded secret, for unknown reasons.”

• A.E. chose Gemini app: “Gemini offered in Docs/Sheets feels under specced compared to direct access via Google AI Studio or Gemini App ie where you get to choose which model you want to use.”

• P.M. chose Google Docs / Sheet: “I used it in sheets to get help creating complex formulas. Its VERy helpful for this use case.”

• For those who chose Not at all, the answers ran the gamut from “it’s not very good” to “I like ChatGPT it’s what I started with” to “I keep forgetting it exists” to “don’t trust it yet.”

• R.S. chose Single Google AI: “I don't want AI jumping in when I don't need it. I want the control to decide.”

• C.A. chose "Google AI everywhere: “more streamlined and easier if already around vs. singly looking up or using different app.”

• R.S. chose Yes, I only use Claude: “It's the best for writing tasks and seems the be the best for "listening" to my instructions. Chat GPT seems to hone in on one idea and not let it go.”

• S.H. chose I use it a lot: “My work is mainly ideation, concepts, and copies, and Claude got my best partner for that. Basic tonality setting and projects work well and the conversations are more comfortable and friendly than with ChatGPT.”

• T.S. chose Occasionally: “I like the interface better but chatgpt has a more comprehensive memory around the company i use it to create copy and content for, with less usage limits on the free tier. I do prefer the quality of writing style for copy that claude gives though.”

A Cat's Commentary.