Together AI, an AI infrastructure company that provides cloud compute for open-source model training and deployment, raised $800 million in Series C funding at an $8.3 billion post-money valuation. Aramco Ventures led the round.
What Together AI Actually Does
Together AI calls itself an “AI native cloud.” The company provides GPU compute optimized for AI workloads, competing with hyperscalers like AWS and Google Cloud but with a focus on open-source model training and inference. They have commitments for over 500 megawatts of compute capacity.
The company was valued at $3.3 billion in a February 2025 funding round led by General Catalyst. The jump to $8.3 billion in roughly 18 months reflects the explosive demand for AI compute infrastructure.
The Funding Rounds That Built the Company
Together AI’s funding trajectory tracks the broader AI infrastructure boom:
- Series B (Feb 2025): Led by General Catalyst, $3.3B valuation
- Series C (July 2026): Led by Aramco Ventures, $8.3B valuation
Aramco Ventures’ participation signals growing interest from energy sector investors in AI infrastructure. Oil and gas companies have been investing in AI compute as both a customer and an energy provider to data centers.
Why AI Neoclouds Are Exploding
Together AI belongs to a new category of “neoclouds” that purpose-build infrastructure for AI rather than offering general-purpose cloud services. Other players in this space include CoreWeave, Lambda, and Crusoe Energy.
The demand drivers are straightforward: AI models are getting larger, training runs cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and the standard cloud providers don’t always offer the GPU availability or pricing that AI companies need. Neoclouds often provide dedicated GPU clusters with guaranteed availability at lower costs than hyperscaler on-demand pricing.
Context: The Week’s AI Funding
Together AI’s raise was part of a broader surge in AI infrastructure funding. In the same week, Ollama raised $65 million for its open-source AI developer platform, and Prime Intellect secured $130 million in Series A for enterprise AI agent infrastructure.
North American startup funding reached $392 billion in the first half of 2026, per Crunchbase data. AI companies captured a disproportionate share of that investment, with infrastructure and tooling startups seeing the biggest rounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Together AI do?
Together AI provides GPU cloud infrastructure optimized for AI training and inference. Companies use their platform to train, fine-tune, and deploy open-source AI models at scale.
How is Together AI different from AWS or Google Cloud?
Together AI is a neocloud, purpose-built for AI workloads rather than general-purpose computing. They typically offer better GPU availability and pricing for sustained AI training runs compared to hyperscaler on-demand instances.
Who invested in the Series C?
Aramco Ventures led the $800 million Series C. Aramco is Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, and its venture arm has been investing in AI infrastructure as both a technology customer and an energy provider.
What is a neocloud?
A neocloud is a cloud provider that builds infrastructure specifically for AI workloads rather than offering general-purpose computing. Examples include Together AI, CoreWeave, Lambda, and Crusoe Energy.
