Baseten scores $40M for cloud-based AI inference platform.





TLDR:

Key points:

  • Baseten Labs Inc. secured a $40 million funding round led by IVP and Spark Capital.
  • The startup offers a platform that automates tasks involved in running production AI environments.

Full Article:

Baseten Labs Inc., a startup focused on simplifying the process of running artificial intelligence models in production, recently closed a $40 million funding round with leading investors IVP and Spark Capital. This Series B raise values the company at over $200 million. The company’s platform aims to streamline the deployment and maintenance of AI models, starting from the initial model deployment phase. It offers an open-source tool called Truss to assist developers in packaging and running AI models on their cloud infrastructure with just a few lines of code.

Once the neural network is operational in production, Baseten utilizes an autoscaling engine to ensure quick processing of user requests by creating replicas of the AI model during usage spikes. The platform also supports a scale-to-zero approach to minimize cloud costs by shutting down inactive AI workloads. Developers can track infrastructure usage and performance metrics through an intuitive dashboard and troubleshoot technical issues with an observability tool provided by Baseten.

To expand its customer base, the company offers its platform as a managed cloud service or for deployment in Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud environments. With an annual revenue in the “mid single-digit millions,” Baseten plans to increase its sales and marketing team and invest in product development initiatives. These initiatives include adding support for more cloud platforms, optimizing AI model performance, and facilitating easier model training.

In conclusion, Baseten’s cloud-based AI inference platform aims to simplify the process of running AI models in production by automating various technical tasks and providing tools for monitoring and troubleshooting. With significant funding secured, the company is poised to accelerate its growth and further enhance its platform’s capabilities to meet the evolving needs of developers and organizations utilizing AI technologies.