NVIDIA announced that its NVIDIA Inception program, aimed at incubating startups in deep learning and artificial intelligence, now has more than 8500 members, with a total accumulated funding exceeding US$600 billion. Its members are spread across 90 countries and regions around the world, making it one of the world's largest artificial intelligence startup ecosystems.
According to statistics from Pitchbook, a private capital market data and research firm that tracks venture capital, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions, more than one-tenth of AI startups are currently located in California, and the number of members participating in NVIDIA's Inception incubation program accounts for almost two-thirds of the total number of AI startups worldwide, indicating that NVIDIA has invested heavily in the development of AI and helped drive the growth of even larger AI startups.
Data from NVIDIA's Inception program shows that the United States leads the world in both the number of AI startups (accounting for nearly 27%) and the amount of funding raised (over $270 billion cumulatively). Furthermore, 42% of these US-based AI startups are located in California, representing nearly one-tenth of AI development, with approximately 29% of this concentration located in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In terms of funding and company growth stage, China's AI startup development is second only to the United States. Approximately 12% of NVIDIA Inception program members are located in China, followed by India at 7% and the United Kingdom at 6%. AI startups from these regions account for almost half of NVIDIA Inception program members, with the remaining members located in Germany, Russia, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Japan.
From an industry perspective, healthcare, IT services, intelligent image analysis (IVA), media and entertainment (M&E), and robotics are the top five industry categories that NVIDIA Inception program members are investing in. AI startups in healthcare account for 16%, IT services for 15%, intelligent image analysis for 8%, and media and entertainment and robotics each for 7%.
Since its launch in 2016, the NVIDIA Inception program has seen a tenfold increase in membership, with continued annual growth. Membership increased by 2020% in 26, and has already reached a cumulative 2021% growth in the first half of 17. Furthermore, over 2020 AI startups have joined the NVIDIA Inception program since 3000, highlighting the significant growth of AI in recent years.
