Your Daily Venture Capital Briefing

Andreessen Horowitz Launches $1.1 Billion Machine Age Fund for AI Hardware

• Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) launched its $1.1 billion Machine Age Fund on August 28, 2026, its first dedicated hardware fund in 17 years. This fund exclusively targets AI hardware like chips, data centers, and robotics, reflecting a major pivot towards AI's physical infrastructure.

  Angelinvestorsnetwork

• Global energy technology SLB agreed to acquire Kelvion, a leader in data center cooling, for approximately $4.1 billion on August 31, 2026. This acquisition from Apollo-managed funds highlights the substantial AI-driven infrastructure investment cycle, enhancing SLB's data center offerings.

  Apollo

• Deeptech startup S-Transistors secured €2.6 million in pre-seed funding on August 31, 2026, led by Lifeline Ventures, for scalable quantum computing with superconducting transistors. This addresses a critical hardware challenge by integrating control electronics closer to quantum processors in cryogenic environments.

  Vestbee