Seattle-based agricultural robotics company, Carbon Robotics has raised $20M in funding to scale its AI-powered automation systems for farming. The latest funding round was led by Giant Ventures, joining existing investors, including Bond, Anthos Capital, and NVIDIA. With operations spanning 14 countries, Carbon Robotics has raised a total of $177 million in funding to date.
The comapny develops AI-powered robots for agriculture that combine machine vision, automation, and laser technology to improve farm productivity. The new investment will help Carbon Robotics accelerate production, expand global sales, and continue development of new products including a new AI robot.
The company’s flagship product, the LaserWeeder, employs lasers controlled by its AI system to remove a large proportion of weeds without using chemical herbicides. It also offers the Carbon ATK (Autonomous Tractor Kit), which can modify conventional tractors to operate autonomously.The company’s Carbon AI is built on dataset of over 40 million plants labeled across three continents.
Adaptive Crop Intelligence
In an interview with GeekWire, Carbon Robotics co-founder and CEO Paul Mikesell explained that the company has accumulated enough training data and labeled images to teach Carbon AI the basic structure of the plants it observes, enabling a single model to be deployed across all machines worldwide.
CEO Paul Mikesell told GeekWire, “If new weeds pop up in an onion field in France, and those are eventually going to show up in a carrot field in the U.S., the first time we see that weed anywhere it can be part of the model and be ready to go. It also means that if we want to go into a new crop that we’ve never seen before, we can do it immediately.”
He also revealed that the company plans to introduce a new AI robot within the next nine months, which will use the same Carbon AI system as the company’s existing equipment but will be capable of performing tasks beyond weeding.
The company operates a manufacturing facility in Richland, Washington, and recently opened another in the Netherlands to navigate trade and tariff challenges while accelerating the deployment of its machines across Europe
Carbon Robotics’ AI-Powered Precision
The LaserWeeder is a precision weed control system that employs AI, computer vision, and laser technology to eliminate weeds without the use of herbicides. In February 2025, the comapny introduced LaserWeeder G2, that offers faster processing, lighter design, and modular configurations. According to a report published in Mezha.Media, the product uses 36 high-resolution cameras and NVIDIA chips to detect and eradicate up to 600,000 weeds per hour.
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According to Carbon Robotics, the products boasts sub-millimeter precision, capable of eliminating up to 99% of unwanted weeds at a speed of 3–6 acres per hour. The LaserWeeder G2 is available in multiple configurations, the G2 200 for smaller farms, the G2 300 for versatile field layouts, the G2 400 as a mid-sized unit for diverse crops, the G2 600 with enhanced speed and lighter weight, and the G2 1200, a large 40-foot unit designed for organic corn and soybean farms.
The Carbon ATK is a retrofit solution that transforms existing tractors into fully autonomous machines. The product is designed to handle a wide range of field operations without the need for an on-site driver. The product can be easily integrated with Carbon Robotics’ LaserWeeder G2 and other smart implements.
It can autonomously perform tasks such as tilling, cultivating, chisel plowing, discing, listing, mulching, and mowing, using Carbon AI for precise row alignment and seamless re-entry after end-of-row turnarounds. The product also offers 24/7 remote supervision and control for continuous monitoring.
Advancing Herbicide-Free Weed Management
Carbon Robotics can position itself as a leading player in AI-driven, herbicide-free weed management. The company was named to the 2025 CNBC Disruptor 50 list, which recognized its machine learning-powered LaserWeeder for replacing manual labor and chemical herbicides in managing weeds across specialty crops such as vegetables.
The company’s guided laser technology to control weeds without chemicals can support the growing movement toward sustainable and regenerative agriculture. This technology could potentially offer a scalable alternative to herbicides, reducing environmental impact, cutting labor costs, and meeting the increasing demand for organic and chemical-free produce.