Cerebras Backer Eclipse Raises $1.3 Billion for Robotics, AI Infrastructure

In a statement, Eclipse said that the firm has spent the past 11 years building an ecosystem of startups focused on national strength, sovereignty and security. "Companies in physical industries are built differently," it said. "We believed that, with the right partners, a new generation of builders could take the baton from the last wave of industrial innovators -- and go even farther."

Eclipse's cash influx comes as investors pour money into so-called hard tech companies, driven by recent innovations in artificial intelligence technologies and geopolitical pressures. One such pressure, spurred by President Donald Trump's emphasis on international tariffs, has led to new efforts to revive US manufacturing. This year, Eclipse co-led a $220 million funding round for American manufacturing startup VulcanForms.