SoftBank Group

SoftBank Vision Fund Leads $400M Investment in Indian AI Startup

SoftBank Vision Fund has led a $400 million Series C investment in Aether AI, an Indian enterprise AI startup specializing in manufacturing automation and quality control. The round also included participation from Accel India and Lightspeed India. Aether AI's platform uses computer vision and reinforcement learning to automate quality inspection in manufacturing facilities, claiming to reduce defect rates by 60% and inspection costs by 75%. The company operates in India, Vietnam, and Thailand, serving clients including Tata Steel, Foxconn, and Samsung's Indian manufacturing operations. Aether AI plans to use the funding to expand into Japan and South Korea.