Nvidia and AMD Are Backing a $6 Billion AI Startup Taking on Grok

Hark is entering the consumer AI race with heavyweight backing: Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AMD) AMD Ventures joined a $700 million round valuing it at $6 billion.

Now its founder, Figure AI CEO Brett Adcock, is pointing frustrated Grok Bot users toward Hark, turning complaints about Elon Musk‘s AI agent into an opening for a well-funded challenger.

Nvidia and AMD Back a Different AI Bet

Hark announced in May that it had raised more than $700 million in a Series A at a $6 billion post-money valuation. Led by Parkway Venture Capital, the round also included Intel Corp‘s (NASDAQ:INTC) Intel Capital, Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) Qualcomm Ventures, ARK Invest and Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) Salesforce Ventures.

Hark is not simply building another chatbot. It is developing its own foundation models, software and AI-native hardware, aiming to create a personal assistant that can act across the services people already use.

Its ambitions extend beyond answering questions. Hark wants its assistant to manage calendars, order groceries, book flights, summarize Slack conversations and operate a cloud computer to complete web-based tasks. The idea is to make AI less of a tool users consult and more of an assistant they delegate work to.

That broader vision helps explain why semiconductor investors are paying attention. Building and operating increasingly capable AI assistants requires computing infrastructure, while Hark’s ambitions around its own hardware could create another layer of opportunity.

Grok’s Usage Problem Opens a Door

Hark’s competitive ambitions came into sharper focus on Nov. 2, when Adcock encouraged users frustrated by Grok Bot’s usage limits to try Hark, describing its subscription tiers as “incredibly generous.”

The endorsement is notable because Adcock is not just promoting a competing chatbot. He is positioning Hark as an alternative for users who want an AI assistant they can rely on for everyday tasks. It also puts the startup in the same consumer AI conversation as Musk’s Grok, which Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) said had reached 800,000 paid weekly users in its third quarter.

Hark’s funding gives it considerable financial backing to pursue that opportunity. Its investor roster also spans several major semiconductor companies, including Nvidia, AMD and Qualcomm, giving the startup connections across the infrastructure powering the AI industry.

A Bigger Bet on AI Assistants

For Nvidia and AMD, Hark represents more than a startup investment. The company is betting that consumers will increasingly delegate everyday digital work to AI agents, creating demand for models, infrastructure and eventually new hardware.

But a $6 billion valuation sets a high bar. Hark must turn its generous usage pitch into durable customer adoption while managing the same inference costs now confronting Grok. The opportunity is clear; whether its economics prove more sustainable remains the bigger test.

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