Recursive Superintelligence Signs $410 Million Compute Agreement with AWS
Recursive Superintelligence, an AI company that came out of stealth in May with $650 million in funding, announced a $410 million compute deal with Amazon Web Services on Tuesday. The company focuses on building open-ended self-improving systems, an approach to AI research that demands significant computing power. This multi-year agreement is designed to offer flexibility as Recursive scales those systems.
The $410 million commitment represents most of the company's fundraising to date. But on a call with TechCrunch, CEO Richard Socher emphasized that he expects this to be just the beginning. Today's announcement is "likely going to be one of the smallest compute deals we're going to sign in the next few years," Socher said.
Compute Over Headcount
Recursive's focus on self-improving AI systems means much of the budget that would traditionally go toward hiring and operations is instead directed into compute power, as the company aims to automate its own product development process.
"For us, it's less about headcount and more about agent count," Socher said.
Amazon's involvement does not include an investment component, unlike the hybrid investment arrangements common among major AI labs. However, the sheer size of the commitment allows AWS to dedicate significant resources to supporting Recursive's specific needs. That could help attract other foundation-level AI companies in the future.
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"Part of the agreement is that we're going to co-develop infrastructure purpose-built for these types of company," said Jason Bennett, vice president for startups and venture capital at AWS.
The Pursuit of Recursive Self-Improvement
Recursive self-improvement, or RSI, has long been viewed as a potential inflection point for AI. Some experts predict an explosion of progress once AI can be improved without human involvement. But as more labs and companies explore the concept, the specific requirements have become less clear. Some predict an imminent breakthrough, while others describe self-improvement as more of a gradual process.
For Recursive, the goal is to use RSI capabilities to develop actual products. Socher expects to release the earliest examples before the end of the year.
"We are excited to build like really amazing products that people can use, and you will see those within a few months, not within a few quarters or years," Socher said. "In October or so, you'll see some actually tangible, useful things that you'll be able to play around with."