One of the most disruptive technologies of our times, Artificial Intelligence (AI), holds the power to transform our lives in ways we never anticipated. It can produce and destroy businesses, rebuild financial and operating models, and create new winners and losers in both advanced and emerging economies.
With commercial uses for AI proliferating, the global race to fund, develop, and acquire artificial intelligence technologies and startups is intensifying.
The rapid market growth and growing popularity of machine learning, intelligent applications, and AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS) or AI-Platform-as-a-Service (AI-PaaS) validate the new excitement and willingness to invest in AI technologies.
Investments are being made today by the world’s largest companies and governments alike. Everyone sees AI as a global economic competitiveness-increasing capability that could have an enormous influence on the global economy and workforce.
There are many estimates of total global AI spending, investment in AI startups, and impact on the future economy of AI technologies. Most assessments agree that the US and China are investing the most, with EU members looking to catch up quickly. More than 51 percent of the studies expect AI investment to increase by 40 percent by 2022 to almost $80 billion.
In a recent effort, RS Components has taken a look at the global landscape of AI, mapped where all the AI startups are, and looked at the countries getting the most funding for their AI companies. They assessed how AI is used within businesses, and which companies are leading the way.
Top countries receiving the most AI funding
Their research suggests that startups operating in the US account for the majority of AI startup equity investments worldwide. The startups received over $345 million US dollars last year, with AI companies in the US accounting for 65% of that, followed by startups in China who attracted over $45 million. Take a look below at how the other countries are receiving the most funding for AI.
| Rank | Country | Total AI startups | Total funding |
| 1 | US | 178 | $224.4M |
| 2 | Israel | 46 | $3.5M |
| 3 | UK | 41 | $5.4M |
| 4 | India | 34 | $2.2M |
| 5 | Canada | 25 | $825K |
| 6 | Germany | 23 | $553K |
| 7 | Netherlands | 17 | $684K |
| 8 | France | 14 | $4M |
| 9 | China | 13 | $45.2M |
| 10 | Spain | 10 | N/A |
From the charts, we can see that the United States is leading the way in financing for all startups, hitting a massive $224.2 million with the total funding. As far as the countries with the most AI startups are concerned, the United States also came top in 2019 last year with 178 AI startups, Israel cames second with 46 AI startups, and the United Kingdom cames third with 41 AI startups. Notably, in 2019, $10.7B was invested in AI startups.
Which AI startups are leading the way?
Now the question is which AI companies are leading the way, and which companies generated the most interest? The report mentions more than 600 startups, but we at RoboticsBiz has shortlisted the 50 AI startups that received the most funding.
| Name | Total Funding (USD) | Description |
| ArsenalBio | 85000000 | A programmable cell therapy company |
| Vianai | 50000000 | Provides enterprise artificial intelligence solutions. |
| CODE42.AI | 26800307 | A TaaS company that develops an urban mobility operating system (UMOS). |
| Navigator | 12000000 | An AI- enabled assistant designed to help teams work and communicate more efficiently. |
| Pearl | 11000000 | A computer vision company focusing on solving challenging problems in the dental industry. |
| Celona | 10000000 | A networking platform for enterprise 5G. |
| Evolv Technology | 10000000 | An autonomous optimization platform for the digital era. |
| Graviti | 10000000 | An artificial intelligence data service platform dedicated to growing into a one-stop AI data service platform for storing. |
| Shanghai AI | 9000000 | Develops artificial intelligence software for the e-commerce industry. |
| Vocalis Health | 9000000 | Develops AI platform to enable healthcare. |
| Edgematrix | 9000000 | Focusing on AI processing at the edge. |
| Supremind | 8185153 | A Chinese AI-based video big data analysis company. |
| Agerris | 6500000 | A field robotics and AI start-up based on technology created at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics. |
| Fiture | 6000000 | A smart household fitness equipment brand. |
| RealityEngines.AI | 5250000 | An AI and machine learning research startup. |
| Trace Data | 5000000 | Helps companies understand, monitor and secure their data. |
| Soteria AI | 5000000 | Developing the next generation of artificial intelligence. |
| Vannevar Labs | 4500000 | Builds products for most critical national security problems. |
| Yunwen Technology | 4500000 | An AI company developing customer service robot. |
| Shentong Wanma | 4469606 | A big data artificial intelligence company |
| OctoML | 3900000 | A computer software company. |
| Scalez | 3100000 | Builds conversational AI platforms for personalized expert advice experiences. |
| Edgecortix | 3000000 | A deep- tech startup automating ML-driven hardware design for an intelligent distributed edge ecosystem |
| Aive | 2762437 | Creative AI for video creation and distribution automation |
| mosaic.tech | 2400000 | A Strategic Finance Platform that helps you run your business more efficiently. |
| ChAI | 1863661 | Predicts commodity prices with AI on Alternative Data to mitigate price volatility for manufacturers. |
| Kover.ai | 1620000 | Builds a parametric insurance for anything. |
| m1neral | 1600000 | Builds the first all-in-one transaction management platform for oil & gas minerals and royalties. |
| 3XR Inc. | 1500000 | Empowers brands to enhance their online experience with engaging 3D content. |
| Syncari | 1500000 | A Distributed Data Management (DDM) platform. |
| Zhongke Haoyin | 1447366 | A voiceprint AI solution provider. |
| Nebuli | 1360000 | Turns existing machines and applications into super- smart robotic coworkers. |
| Pactum | 1150000 | An AI-based system that helps global companies to autonomously offer personalized, commercial negotiations on a massive scale. |
| ArtiQ | 1125980 | Develops AI- based software to help doctors save time & improve interpretation of lung function tests & diagnosis of lung diseases. |
| Flowlity | 1120000 | A SaaS software using AI to synchronize your Supply Chain planning with your suppliers and customers. |
| Kzas.AI | 1025714 | A platform that matches real buyers with real properties with assistance of conversational AI simplifying from the search to notary. |
| Myelin Foundry | 1001795 | A deep technology startup. |
| Kurvv | 1000000 | Provides data science as a service |
| xaana.ai | 1000000 | Specializes in AI-driven integration, AI-driven analytics, and RPA. |
| UnoLigo Solutions | 1000000 | An omnichannel bot-based customer transmigration platform that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning. |
| AHEAD Medicine | 870000 | Focusing on AI enabled diagnostic and disease assessment tools to blood cancer treatment. |
| Niumengmeng | 839009 | A beef cattle AI aquaculture service provider. |
| Terraview | 820843 | A SaaS- based global image processing startup. |
| Zhifubao | 726654 | An AI intelligent repayment terminal. |
| Yiwu Market | 700000 | International trade platform for consumer goods based in AI |
| Skyqraft | 675500 | Provides autonomous aerial infrastructure inspection. |
| COUTURME | 650000 | An AI-powered custom dress designer online, starting with bridal and formal gowns. |
| BlackDice | 640964 | A machine learning software for device management and cybersecurity. |
| Lumilinks | 607927 | A marketing platform to maximize data value while preserving people’s right to privacy. |
| 9signals | 573075 | Integrates Artificial Intelligence with Graph Technology to structure, search, analyze, and enrich data. |
