Tian Xie has left Microsoft Research AI for Science to join Project Prometheus as a founding member of technical staff, marking a shift from Big Tech research into one of the most well-funded early-stage AI ventures in the market.
Xie confirmed on LinkedIn that he departed Microsoft “a couple of weeks ago” and is now helping to build a new team at Project Prometheus.
The startup, reportedly backed by $6.2 billion in funding and co-led by Jeff Bezos, is focused on applying AI to engineering and manufacturing across sectors including computing, aerospace, and automotive.
Xie wrote: “Personal update: I have left Microsoft a couple of weeks ago. I am starting my new role as a founding member of technical staff at Project Prometheus. I will be helping to build a new team here.”
From AI for science to AI for the physical economy
At Microsoft Research AI for Science, Xie worked on materials discovery systems including MatterGen and MatterSim, designed to accelerate materials development through generative and simulation-driven AI.
He wrote: “It has been an incredible 4 years at Microsoft Research AI for Science. We have built MatterGen and MatterSim as a flywheel to accelerate materials discovery. We have synthesized these materials and tested their performance in the real world. It’s been an honor to work with everyone and make all of these into a reality.”
Project Prometheus describes its mission as building AI for the “physical economy,” targeting systems that can support engineering design, manufacturing processes, robotics, and scientific discovery. Unlike large language model-driven chat systems, the company is understood to be developing AI that learns from simulation and physical experimentation.
The startup has kept a relatively low public profile, and operational details remain limited. However, reports indicate it has already hired close to 100 researchers, including talent from OpenAI, DeepMind, Meta, and other leading AI labs.
Bezos returns to operational leadership
Jeff Bezos is serving as co-chief executive of Project Prometheus alongside Vik Bajaj, a physicist and former Google X leader. The move marks Bezos’ first formal operational leadership role since stepping down as CEO of Amazon in 2021.
Project Prometheus enters a crowded AI market but with funding levels that place it among the most heavily financed early ventures. The scale of investment signals confidence in AI systems designed to work beyond text and image generation, and instead operate within engineering and industrial environments.
For EdTech and AI workforce watchers, the move highlights an ongoing shift: senior researchers are increasingly leaving established research labs to build AI systems aimed at real-world physical and industrial applications. Whether Project Prometheus can translate funding and talent into deployable systems remains to be seen, but recruitment activity suggests it intends to move quickly.
Xie noted that Project Prometheus is hiring across London, San Francisco, and Zurich.
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