Tired of ads? Enjoy an ad-free experience by signing up.
👩‍🍳 How we use AI at Tech in Asia, thoughtfully and responsibly.
🧔‍♂️ A friendly human may check it before it goes live. More news here

UK AI startup Ineffable raises $1.1b seed round

Ineffable Intelligence, a London-based AI startup founded in late 2025 by former Google DeepMind researcher David Silver, said on April 27 that it raised a US$1.1 billion seed round to build superintelligence using reinforcement learning.

The company said the round values it at US$5.1 billion and marks Europe’s largest seed financing, with Sequoia, Nvidia, DST Global, Index, Google, and the UK’s Sovereign AI Fund also taking part.

Reinforcement learning trains models through trial and error rather than mostly on human-produced text.

Silver previously led DeepMind’s reinforcement learning team.

🔗 Source: CNBC

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

The thinking behind Ineffable’s multibillion-dollar seed financing

  • Scaling large language models (LLMs) is the wrong path and will not lead to superintelligence, said David Silver, founder of Ineffable 1.
  • Silver argues that LLMs draw from a limited supply of human-made data, which he calls a “fossil fuel” 1.
  • That dependence can hold back new discoveries. Silver uses AlphaGo’s Move 37 against Lee Sedol as an example. Humans first saw the play as a mistake 2.
  • Ineffable is backing “superlearners” that build knowledge from experience, including simulations, to create a “renewable fuel” for continued learning 1.

London’s push in the AI race with government support

  • The round included the UK’s Sovereign AI Fund, a British government-backed investment fund focused on AI 3.
  • The fund says it can give portfolio companies more than money, including access to UK supercomputers plus faster visas 3.
  • The company calls it Europe’s largest seed round. The deal adds to London’s appeal for frontier AI researchers and foundational research 1.
  • Investors also appear open to paths beyond larger LLMs, including reinforcement-learning-first work aimed at superintelligence 1.

Stay ahead in Asia’s tech landscape

You've reached your 2 free content limit for the month. Sign up for free to read the full story.

🏄 For casual readers / 👶 Free

Basic

US$0

Free forever

Get instant access to this article and more every month

0 premium content

Unlimited news briefs

5

5 articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0 per day

⌛Sign up in 20s. No payment details needed.

📖 For learners / 👍 Starter

Lite

US$4.92/month

Billed annually at US$59/year

Get instant access to this article and more every month

4

4 premium content

Unlimited news briefs & articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0.17 per day

Cancel anytime

Our subscriber community includes professionals from these companies:

Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.

Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.