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📢【新聞標題】
One of Europe’s top AI researchers raised a $13M seed to crack the holy grail of 3D models
歐洲頂尖AI研究員募得1300萬美元種子輪資金，以破解3D模型的聖杯
📰【摘要】
Matthias Niessner, a prominent AI 3D model researcher, founded SpAItial to generate full, coherent 3D online environments from text prompts. The startup raised a $13 million seed round led by Earlybird Venture Capital. The company aims to create interactive and realistic 3D worlds that behave like the real world, with applications ranging from video games to robotics training.
知名AI 3D模型研究員Matthias Niessner創立了SpAItial，旨在通過文本提示生成完整、連貫的3D在線環境。該新創公司募得1300萬美元種子輪融資，由Earlybird Venture Capital領投。該公司的目標是創建像真實世界一樣互動和逼真的3D世界，應用範圍從視頻遊戲到機器人培訓。
🗝️【關鍵詞彙表】
📝 foundation model (n.)
- 基礎模型
- 例句: From OpenAI’s 4o to Stable Diffusion, AI foundation models that create realistic images from a text prompt are now plentiful.
- 翻譯: 從OpenAI的4o到Stable Diffusion，現在有大量的AI基礎模型可以從文本提示創建逼真的圖像。
📝 coherent (adj.)
- 連貫的、有條理的
- 例句: In contrast, foundation models capable of generating full, coherent 3D online environments from a text prompt are only just emerging.
- 翻譯: 相反，能夠從文本提示生成完整、連貫的3D在線環境的基礎模型才剛剛出現。
📝 entrepreneurial (adj.)
- 創業的
- 例句: Matthias Niessner has taken an entrepreneurial leave of absence from his visual computing & AI lab.
- 翻譯: Matthias Niessner已從他的視覺計算與AI實驗室休了創業假。
📝 seed round (n.)
- 種子輪
- 例句: Niessner has raised an unusually large seed round for a European startup of $13 million.
- 翻譯: Niessner為一家歐洲新創公司募集了異常龐大的1300萬美元種子輪融資。
📝 photorealism (n.)
- 照片寫實主義
- 例句: Their collective expertise will give them a fighting chance in a space that already includes some competitors with a similar focus on photorealism.
- 翻譯: 他們的集體專業知識將使他們在一個已經包含一些同樣關注照片寫實主義的競爭對手的領域中擁有一戰之力。
📝 downstream (adj.)
- 下游的
- 例句: Niessner is hoping to bypass that issue by having developers license the foundation model to come up with downstream applications for specific uses.
- 翻譯: Niessner希望通過讓開發人員授權基礎模型來提出針對特定用途的下游應用程序來繞過這個問題。
📝 holy grail (n.)
- 聖杯 (比喻極難實現的目標)
- 例句: This would unlock what Niessner refers to as the “holy grail”: that a 10-year-old could type in some text and make their own video game in 10 minutes.
- 翻譯: 這將解鎖Niessner所說的“聖杯”：一個10歲的孩子可以在10分鐘內輸入一些文本並製作自己的視頻遊戲。
✍️【文法與句型】
📝 only a question of when, not if
- 說明: Emphasizes the certainty of an event happening, focusing on the timing rather than the possibility.
- 翻譯: 強調事件發生的確定性，關注時間而不是可能性。
- 例句: Still, it’s only a question of when, not if, these models will become readily available.
- 翻譯: 儘管如此，這些模型何時能夠輕易獲得只是時間問題，而不是是否會發生的問題。
📝 taking into account that...
- 說明: Considering or bearing in mind a particular fact or circumstance.
- 翻譯: 考慮到或記住特定的事實或情況。
- 例句: That round size is even more impressive when taking into account that SpAItial doesn’t have much to show the world yet.
- 翻譯: 考慮到SpAItial還沒有太多東西可以向世界展示，這一輪融資規模就更加令人印象深刻。
📖【全文與翻譯】
From OpenAI’s 4o to Stable Diffusion, AI foundation models that create realistic images from a text prompt are now plentiful.
從OpenAI的4o到Stable Diffusion，現在有大量的AI基礎模型可以從文本提示創建逼真的圖像。
In contrast, foundation models capable of generating full, coherent 3D online environments from a text prompt are only just emerging.
相反，能夠從文本提示生成完整、連貫的3D在線環境的基礎模型才剛剛出現。
Still, it’s only a question of when, not if, these models will become readily available.
儘管如此，這些模型何時能夠輕易獲得只是時間問題，而不是是否會發生的問題。
Now one of Europe’s most prominent AI 3D model researchers, Matthias Niessner, has taken an entrepreneurial leave of absence from his visual computing & AI lab at the Technical University of Munich to found a startup working in the area: SpAItial.
現在，歐洲最傑出的AI 3D模型研究員之一Matthias Niessner已經從他在慕尼黑工業大學的視覺計算與AI實驗室休了創業假，創立了一家從事該領域的新創公司：SpAItial。
Formerly a co-founder at Synthesia, the realistic AI avatar startup valued at $2.1 billion, Niessner has raised an unusually large seed round for a European startup of $13 million.
Niessner曾是估值21億美元的逼真AI頭像新創公司Synthesia的聯合創始人，他為一家歐洲新創公司募集了異常龐大的1300萬美元種子輪融資。
The round was led by Earlybird Venture Capital, a prominent European early-stage investor (backed UiPath through its Digital East Fund, as well as Peak Games, for instance) with participation from Speedinvest and several high-profile angels.
本輪融資由Earlybird Venture Capital領投，Earlybird Venture Capital是一家著名的歐洲早期投資者（例如，通過其Digital East Fund支持UiPath，以及Peak Games），Speedinvest和幾位知名天使投資人也參與了投資。
That round size is even more impressive when taking into account that SpAItial doesn’t have much to show the world yet other than a recently released teaser video showing how a text prompt could generate a 3D room.
考慮到SpAItial還沒有太多東西可以向世界展示，除了最近發布的一個展示文本提示如何生成3D房間的預告片，這一輪融資規模就更加令人印象深刻。
But then there’s the technical team that Niessner assembled: Ricardo Martin-Brualla, who previously worked on Google’s 3D teleconferencing platform, now called Beam; and David Novotny, who spent six years at Meta, where he led the company’s text-to-3D asset generation project.
但還有Niessner組建的技術團隊：Ricardo Martin-Brualla，他之前曾在Google的3D電話會議平台（現在稱為Beam）工作；以及David Novotny，他在Meta工作了六年，在那裡他領導了公司的文本到3D資產生成項目。
Their collective expertise will give them a fighting chance in a space that already includes some competitors with a similar focus on photorealism.
他們的集體專業知識將使他們在一個已經包含一些同樣關注照片寫實主義的競爭對手的領域中擁有一戰之力。
There’s Odyssey, which raised $27 million and is going after entertainment use cases.
還有Odyssey，它籌集了2700萬美元，正在尋求娛樂用例。
But there’s also World Labs, the startup founded by AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li, and already valued at over $1 billion.
但還有World Labs，這家由AI先驅李飛飛創立的新創公司，估值已超過10億美元。
Niessner thinks this is still little competition compared to what exists for other types of foundation models, but also in regard to “the bigger vision” he and others are pursuing.
Niessner認為，與其他類型的基礎模型相比，這仍然沒有多少競爭，而且就他和其他人正在追求的“更大的願景”而言也是如此。
“I don’t just want to have a 3D world. I also want this world to behave like the real world. I want it to be interactable and [let you] do stuff in it, and nobody has really cracked that yet,” he said.
“我不只是想要一個3D世界。我也希望這個世界像現實世界一樣運作。我希望它是可互動的，並且[讓你可以]在其中做事情，但還沒有人真正破解這個難題，”他說。
VIDEO GAMES TO THE REAL WORLD Nobody has really cracked yet what the demand for photorealistic 3D environments might be, either.
電子遊戲到現實世界，還沒有人真正破解對照片寫實3D環境的需求是什麼。
The promise of a “trillion-dollar” opportunity ranging from digital twins to augmented reality seems big enough to excite VCs, but it is also vague and multifaceted enough to make go-to-market strategy hard to figure out.
從數字雙胞胎到增強現實，“萬億美元”機會的承諾似乎足以激勵風險投資公司，但它也足夠模糊和多面，以至於難以制定上市策略。
The most obvious use case is for video game creation, but these models could also have applications in entertainment, 3D visualizations used in construction, and eventually usage in the real world for areas like robotic training.
最明顯的用例是視頻遊戲創建，但這些模型也可以應用於娛樂、建築中使用的3D可視化，以及最終在機器人培訓等領域的現實世界中使用。
Niessner is hoping to bypass that issue by having developers license the foundation model to come up with downstream applications for specific uses.
Niessner希望通過讓開發人員授權基礎模型來提出針對特定用途的下游應用程序來繞過這個問題。
He also enlisted a fourth co-founder, former Cazoo executive Luke Rogers, once his roommate in Palo Alto while he was a visiting assistant professor at Stanford, to help him on the business side.
他還招募了第四位聯合創始人，前Cazoo高管Luke Rogers，他曾在他在斯坦福大學擔任訪問助理教授期間在帕洛阿爾託的室友，以幫助他處理業務方面。
One of the first tasks on SpAItial’s roadmap will be to identify partners that can work with earlier models, versus those that would have to wait for higher quality.
SpAItial路線圖上的首批任務之一是確定可以與早期模型合作的合作夥伴，以及那些必須等待更高質量的合作夥伴。
“We want to at least work with a few partners,” Niessner said, “and see how they can use the APIs.”
“我們希望至少與幾個合作夥伴合作，”Niessner說，“看看他們如何使用API。”
Compared to other well-funded AI startups, SpAItial is putting revenue higher upon its agenda.
與其他資金充足的AI新創公司相比，SpAItial將收入放在其議程中更高的位置。
But first, it will have to spend some, both on compute and on hiring.
但首先，它必須花一些錢，無論是在計算上還是招聘上。
For the latter, its focus is on quality, not quantity.
對於後者，它的重點是質量，而不是數量。
According to Niessner, “the team is not going to grow to hundreds of people right away; it’s just not happening, and we don’t need that.”
根據Niessner的說法，“團隊不會立即發展到數百人；這是不會發生的，我們不需要那樣。”
Instead, Niessner and his co-founders are working on generating larger and more interactive 3D spaces, where, for example, a glass can shatter realistically.
相反，Niessner和他的聯合創始人正在努力生成更大、更具互動性的3D空間，例如，玻璃可以逼真地破碎。
This would unlock what Niessner refers to as the “holy grail”: that a 10-year-old could type in some text and make their own video game in 10 minutes.
這將解鎖Niessner所說的“聖杯”：一個10歲的孩子可以在10分鐘內輸入一些文本並製作自己的視頻遊戲。
In his view, this ambitious goal is actually more achievable than what might seem like the low-hanging fruit — letting users create 3D objects — since most gaming platforms still tightly control what third parties can add.
在他看來，這個雄心勃勃的目標實際上比看起來像是唾手可得的目標——讓用戶創建3D對象——更容易實現，因為大多數遊戲平台仍然嚴格控制第三方可以添加的內容。
That is, of course, unless they decide to build it themselves, as Roblox might.
當然，除非他們決定自己構建它，就像Roblox可能會做的那樣。
But by then, SpAItial might be busy replacing CAD instead; the next chapter in 3D generation is only beginning.
但到那時，SpAItial可能正忙於取代CAD；3D生成的下一個篇章才剛剛開始。
🔗【資料來源】
文章連結：https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/26/one-of-europes-top-ai-researchers-raised-a-13m-seed-to-crack-the-holy-grail-of-models/