The past six months have seen a seismic shift in public awareness about artificial intelligence (AI). The growing demand for AI is outpacing the infrastructure required to power its myriad use cases, and this is where German startup Qdrant comes in. Founded in 2021 in Berlin, Qdrant is targeting AI software developers with an open-source vector search engine and database for unstructured data.
The Problem with Unstructured Data
Unstructured data constitutes as much as 90% of new data generated in the enterprise, growing three times faster than its structured equivalent. According to Gartner, this type of data includes images, videos, and text that haven’t been categorized or labeled. For large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4, which powers ChatGPT, connecting to real-time, unstructured data can open up a wealth of opportunities for building more useful AI applications.
Qdrant’s Solution
Qdrant CEO and co-founder Andre Zayarni believes that the biggest limitation of LLMs is their inability to access real-time and real-world data. This is where vector databases come in – they are the natural extension of an LLM’s capabilities. By connecting an LLM to a vector database, developers can extend its virtual "memory" with real-time and real-world data.
Investors Take Note
Just last year, a similar proposition to Qdrant called Pinecone raised $28 million in funding. However, Zayarni considers Qdrant’s open-source foundation as a major selling point for would-be customers. Engineers trust open source, and it will be hard for proprietary software to compete in this market if there is an OSS product with a similar – or even better – offering.
Qdrant’s Open-Source Vector Database
Qdrant has now raised $7.5 million in seed funding from lead investor Unusual Ventures, with participation from other investors. This brings the total funding for Qdrant to over $10 million. The company plans to use this funding to further develop its open-source vector database and expand its team.
Future Plans
Qdrant expects to launch a private cloud version of its vector database later this year. This will enable companies to host their data in a private cloud, providing an additional layer of security and control.
Conclusion
The demand for AI is growing rapidly, but the infrastructure required to power it is still catching up. Qdrant’s open-source vector search engine and database are tackling this problem head-on, providing developers with a powerful tool to build more useful AI applications. With its recent funding round, Qdrant is well-positioned to continue innovating in the field of AI.
About Qdrant
Qdrant is an open-source vector search engine and database company founded in 2021 in Berlin. Its mission is to provide developers with a powerful tool for building more useful AI applications by connecting them to real-time, unstructured data.
Meet the Team
Andre Zayarni is the CEO and co-founder of Qdrant. He has over a decade of experience in the field of AI and machine learning.
Stay Connected
Follow Qdrant on social media to stay up-to-date with the latest news and developments:
- Twitter: @qdrant
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/qdrant
- GitHub: github.com/qdrant
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