a16z Crypto invests $15 million to support the Decentralization AI data project Poseidon

The decentralized AI data infrastructure project Poseidon recently announced the completion of a $15 million seed funding round, led by a16z crypto. Poseidon plans to use this funding to accelerate the construction of a full-stack data infrastructure layer aimed at robotics, multimodal models, and next-generation physical AI, to address key bottleneck issues in AI development: high-quality, intellectual property-secure, and traceable data acquisition.

Poseidon's mission is to extend the programmable IP layer to real-world data and AI training scenarios. The project is committed to creating an underlying protocol that supports programmable ownership, licensing, and attribution of creative and AI assets, and further utilizes these capabilities to support the circulation and compliant use of data for AI.

As AI extends into physical world scenarios such as robots, autonomous driving, and smart devices, the demand for real-world data has surged dramatically. However, the existing data collection models face three structural challenges: scarcity of long-tail data, licensing and compliance risks, and lack of incentive mechanisms.

To address these challenges, Poseidon provides a comprehensive operating system covering collection, annotation, licensing, circulation, traceability, and incentives, transforming data from "resources" into "assets" that possess legal validity and economic incentive mechanisms.

Poseidon's core capabilities include: full-stack data pipeline, on-chain IP registration and tracing, incentive and permission modules, and composable data markets. These features provide a compliant, composable, and sustainable data network for AI model training, becoming an important infrastructure for AI to transition from model-driven to data-driven.

Chris Dixon, founder and managing partner of a16z crypto, stated: "AI foundational models have exhausted the most readily available training data. Poseidon's Decentralization data layer is attempting to establish a new economic foundation for the internet, rewarding creators and data providers who offer diverse inputs for the next generation of intelligent systems. We are excited to support Poseidon in addressing one of the most critical bottlenecks in AI development."

Poseidon has partnered with several leading AI companies and will use this round of financing to expand its technology stack, including SDK toolkits, data contributor workbenches, and licensing and profit-sharing management modules. The early access channel will be opened this summer, with registration starting for AI developers and data contributors.

As a decentralized full-stack data layer tailored for AI training processes, Poseidon aims to connect high-quality data supply with AI model demand. The platform supports the entire link process from data contribution, licensing, to verification and integration, ensuring that the data possesses security, compliance, and economic incentive mechanisms.