German artificial intelligence startup Aleph Alpha has received more than $500 million in investment from Schwarz Group, owner of the Lidl supermarket chain, as reported by the Financial Times on November 6, and according to the statement, other investors include the venture capital arm of Bosch, Europe's largest auto parts supplier. About a quarter of the funding came from equity investments, with the remainder made up of research grants and joint business development commitments that would not dilute shareholders' equity, according to people familiar with the deal. Founded in 2019, Aleph Alpha is one of Europe's best-known start-ups focused on generative AI, whose software can mimic human abilities to create complex text, images, or computer code. The Schwarz Group, which is building a new IT department, is leading the deal with an artificial intelligence center in the southwestern German city of Heilbronn, which was set up by a foundation established by Lidl founder Dieter Schwarz.
