In BriefPosted:2:18 PM PST December 19, 2024Image Credits:SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg / Getty ImagesPerplexity has reportedly closed a $500M funding roundAI-powered search engine Perplexity has reportedly closed a $500 million funding round, valuing the startup at $9 billion.Bloomberg, citing sources familiar, reports that the round was led by Institutional Venture Partners and that it closed earlier in December. In an email to TechCrunch, a Perplexity spokesperson declined to comment.The mammoth tranche comes as the competition in AI-powered search heats up. OpenAI recently launched ChatGPT Search, its answer to Perplexity. And Google is developing capabilities to rival some of what Perplexity offers, including AI-generated summaries and answers on search results pages. This week, The Information reported that Google is planning to take a more aggressive move, potentially building a chatbot-like AI mode directly into Google Search.Perplexity isnt resting on its laurels even as it battles a class action lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement. On Wednesday, the company made its first acquisition, snatching up Carbon, a startup specializing in connecting AI systems to external data sources.Topics