CATL and Aramco back DeepCtrls’ physical AI push
DeepCtrls completed a Series B+ led by CATL with Aramco Ventures participating, backing AI designed to control real-world energy and computing infrastructure.
Some of the most strategic AI systems may never produce text or images at all — they will control physical infrastructure.
What happened
DeepCtrls completed a Series B+ financing led by CATL, with Aramco Ventures joining strategically alongside Taiping Innovation Investment, GF Xinde and Fosun Capital. The amount was not disclosed. DeepCtrls applies a Physical AI engine to energy and computing systems.
Why it matters
The investor mix is unusually relevant to the product. A major battery manufacturer and a large energy investor are backing software intended to optimise physical energy systems in real time, suggesting a direct industrial use case rather than a general-purpose AI pitch.
The bigger picture
AI investment is gradually expanding from digital knowledge work into control systems for factories, energy assets and infrastructure. That shift could create a new generation of AI companies whose competitive advantage depends on combining models with deep domain and hardware integration.