Perplexity has reportedly closed a $500 million funding round

Perplexity’s AI-powered search engine It is said It closed a $500 million funding round, valuing the startup at $9 billion.

The round was led by institutional venture partners and closed earlier in December, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. In an email to TechCrunch, a Perplexity spokesperson declined to comment.

This huge segment comes as competition intensifies in the field of research supported by artificial intelligence. OpenAI was recently launched Search ChatGPTHer answer to confusion. Google is working to develop its capabilities to compete with some of what Perplexity offers, including: Summaries and answers generated by artificial intelligence On search results pages.

This week’s information I mentioned Google is planning to take a more aggressive step, likely building a chatbot-like “AI Mode” directly into Google Search.

Confusion does not rest on its laurels, even as it engages in a collective battle lawsuit regarding alleged copyright infringement. On Wednesday, the company made its first operation acquisitionhijacking a startup called Carbon, which specializes in linking artificial intelligence systems to external data sources.