Tether Backs Italian AI Startup in $81 Million Funding Round

According to Cointelegraph, stablecoin leader Tether has announced its participation in an $81 million funding round for Generative Bionics, an Italian artificial intelligence startup focused on developing advanced humanoid robots. The funding round, amounting to 70 million euros, was spearheaded by the AI fund of CDP Venture Capital and included contributions from Tether, AMD Ventures, Duferco, Eni Next, and RoboIT. In a statement released on Monday, Tether revealed its investment aims to support the creation of humanoid robots designed for industrial-scale performance and human-centric interaction. The company emphasized that its financial backing will aid in the development of Physical AI systems and edge AI solutions, accelerate the industrial validation of Generative Bionics' humanoid platform, and facilitate the establishment of its first production facility, integrating it into the broader robotics ecosystem. Generative Bionics, a research spinoff from the Italian Institute of Technology, is dedicated to building humanoid robots with real-world physical AI capabilities, particularly for industrial applications in factory production lines. Tether's involvement aligns with its broader strategy to support emerging technologies that enhance human potential while minimizing dependence on centralized systems dominated by major tech companies. Tether has outlined five key investment areas: finance, power, data, education, and evolution, with AI investments like this one falling under the evolution category. The firm, maintaining a robust balance sheet in 2025, has diversified its investments across various sectors. In the realm of AI, reports from mid-November indicated that Tether was contemplating a significant $1.15 billion investment in the German AI robotics startup Neura. Additionally, Tether highlighted other AI initiatives it has supported, including investments in brain-computer interfaces through Blackrock Neurotech and recent collaborations with Northern Data and Rumble to deploy a 20,000-GPU global compute network for open, privacy-preserving AI development.