Flapping Airplanes raises $1B in Series A led by Index and Lux at $6B valuation. The AI startup aims to develop more efficient model training through its megakernel framework.
PRIVATEOct 21, 2026
Amount Raised
$1 Billion
Round Type
Series A
San FranciscoArtificial IntelligenceMachine LearningNatural Language Processing
Flapping Airplanes announced a $1 billion Series A round co-led by Index and Lux, valuing the company at $6 billion. The AI startup, founded by Aidan Smith and brothers Asher and Ben Spector, is developing a megakernel framework for GPUs that enables full model-training cycles, inference, and video games to run simultaneously. Previous investors Sequoia, GV, and Kleiner Perkins participated alongside new investors Valor, Atreides, A, and Nvidia. The company aims to create AI systems requiring less data for training while reducing costs.
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Company Information
Company
Flapping Airplanes
Location
San Francisco, California, United States
About
Flapping Airplanes is a newly launched AI lab that emerged from stealth with a focus on fundamental research breakthroughs in AI training. Unlike its competitors, the company challenges the prevailing scaling paradigm by advocating for a more efficient approach to training large language models without the need for massive data. Flapping Airplanes seeks to explore long-term research projects that may lead to significant advancements in artificial intelligence. This contrarian strategy sets it apart in the crowded AI lab landscape.
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San FranciscoArtificial IntelligenceMachine LearningNatural Language Processing