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Overall Winner: Scale AI·84/ 100

d-Matrix vs Scale AI

Side-by-side on valuation, funding, investors, founders & more

Comparison updated: April 2026

Scale AI is valued at $29B — more than 3x d-Matrix's $2B.

Head-to-Head Verdict

Scale AI leads on 5 of 5 metrics

d-Matrix

0 wins

-Valuation
-Funding
-Awaira Score
-Team Size
-Experience

Scale AI

5 wins

+Valuation
+Funding
+Awaira Score
+Team Size
+Experience
d-Matrix logo
d-Matrix

🇺🇸 United States · Sid Sheth

Series CAI InfrastructureEst. 2019

Valuation

$2B

Total Funding

$450M

Awaira Score68/100

150 employees

Full d-Matrix Profile →
Winner
Scale AI logo
Scale AI

🇺🇸 United States · Alexandr Wang

Series GAI InfrastructureEst. 2016

Valuation

$29B

Total Funding

$15.9B

Awaira Score84/100

1,000 employees

Full Scale AI Profile →
Market Context

d-Matrix and Scale AI are both AI Infrastructure companies based in United States, making this a direct domestic rivalry. The stage gap — d-Matrix at Series C vs Scale AI at Series G — shapes how each company allocates capital and talent.

🔬

Analyst Summary

Built from real data · Updated April 2026

The AI Infrastructure sector features both d-Matrix and Scale AI as key players. d-Matrix is an AI infrastructure company founded in 2019 that develops hardware and software solutions optimized for generative AI and large language model inference. Scale AI is a data infrastructure company founded in 2016 that specializes in data labeling and annotation services for artificial intelligence model development.

A 14.5x valuation gap separates these companies — Scale AI at $29B and d-Matrix at $2B. Capital raised tells a clear story: Scale AI at $15.9B versus d-Matrix at $450M — a $15.5B difference.

Scale AI was founded in 2016, 3 years before d-Matrix arrived in 2019. Stage-wise, d-Matrix is classified as Series C and Scale AI as Series G, reflecting divergent fundraising histories. On headcount, d-Matrix reports 150 employees and Scale AI reports 1,000.

Both companies are headquartered in 🇺🇸 United States, competing for the same regional talent pool and customer base. Scale AI scores 84 on Awaira's composite index versus d-Matrix's 68, a wide margin reflecting substantially stronger fundamentals. d-Matrix, led by Sid Sheth, and Scale AI, led by Alexandr Wang, each bring distinct leadership visions to the AI sector.

Key Numbers

Valuation
$2B
$29B
Total Funding
$450M
$15.9B
Awaira Score
68/100
84/100
Employees
150
1,000
Founded
2019
2016
Stage
Series C
Series G
d-MatrixScale AI

Funding Velocity

d-Matrix

Total Rounds3
Avg. Round Size$150M
Funding Span2.7 yrs

Scale AI

Total Rounds5
Avg. Round Size$43.1M
Funding Span5 yrs

Funding History

d-Matrix has completed 3 funding rounds, while Scale AI has gone through 5. d-Matrix's most recent round was a Series C of $343M, compared to Scale AI's Series D ($100M). d-Matrix is at Series C while Scale AI is at Series G — different points in their growth trajectory.

Team & Scale

Scale AI has the bigger team at roughly 1,000 people — 7x the size of d-Matrix's 150. Scale AI has a 3-year head start, founded in 2016 vs d-Matrix's 2019. Both are based in United States.

Metrics Comparison

Metricd-MatrixScale AI
💰Valuation
$2B
$29BWINS
📈Total Funding
$450M
$15.9BWINS
📅Founded
2019WINS
2016
🚀Stage
Series C
Series G
👥Employees
150
1,000
🌍Country
United States
United States
🏷️Category
AI Infrastructure
AI Infrastructure
Awaira Score
68
84WINS

Key Differences

💰

Valuation gap: Scale AI is valued 14.5x higher ($29B vs $2B)

📈

Funding gap: Scale AI has raised $15.5B more ($15.9B vs $450M)

📅

Market experience: Scale AI has 3 years more (founded 2016 vs 2019)

🚀

Growth stage: d-Matrix is at Series C vs Scale AI at Series G

👥

Team size: d-Matrix has 150 employees vs Scale AI's 1,000

⚔️

Direct competitors: Both operate in the AI Infrastructure market segment

Awaira Score: Scale AI scores 84/100 vs d-Matrix's 68/100

Which Should You Choose?

Use these signals to make the right call

d-Matrix logo

Choose d-Matrix if…

  • d-Matrix is an AI infrastructure company founded in 2019 that develops hardware and software solutions optimized for generative AI and large language model inference
Scale AI logo

Choose Scale AI if…

Top Pick
  • Higher Awaira Score — 84/100 vs 68/100
  • More established by valuation ($29B)
  • Stronger investor backing — raised $15.9B
  • More market experience — founded in 2016
  • Scale AI is a data infrastructure company founded in 2016 that specializes in data labeling and annotation services for artificial intelligence model development

Funding History

d-Matrix raised $450M across 3 rounds. Scale AI raised $15.9B across 5 rounds.

d-Matrix

Series C

Jun 2023

Lead: Bessemer Venture Partners

$343M

Series B

Oct 2021

Lead: Bessemer Venture Partners

$87M

Series A

Sep 2020

Lead: Khosla Ventures

$20M

Scale AI

Series D

Jan 2021

Lead: Dragoneer Investment Group

$100M

Series C

Jan 2019

Lead: Dragoneer Investment Group

$50M

Series B

Jan 2018

$18M

Series A

Jan 2017

Lead: Accel

$4.5M

Seed

Jan 2016

Investor Comparison

No shared investors detected between these two companies.

Unique to d-Matrix

Bessemer Venture PartnersKhosla VenturesSilverton PartnersLightspeed Venture Partners

Unique to Scale AI

Dragoneer Investment GroupAccelSpark Capital

Users Also Compare

FAQ — d-Matrix vs Scale AI

Is d-Matrix bigger than Scale AI?
By valuation, Scale AI is the larger company at $29B versus $2B — a 14.5x difference. Size can also be measured by team: d-Matrix employs 150 people while Scale AI has 1,000 employees.
Which company raised more funding — d-Matrix or Scale AI?
Scale AI has raised more in total funding at $15.9B, compared to d-Matrix's $450M — a gap of $15.5B. Combined, the two companies have completed 8 known funding rounds.
Which company has a higher Awaira Score?
Scale AI leads with an Awaira Score of 84/100, while d-Matrix sits at 68/100. That 16-point gap reflects real differences in funding, scale, and traction — it's not a vanity metric.
Who founded d-Matrix vs Scale AI?
d-Matrix was founded by Sid Sheth in 2019. Scale AI was founded by Alexandr Wang in 2016. Visit each company's profile on Awaira for a full founder biography.
What does d-Matrix do vs Scale AI?
d-Matrix: d-Matrix is an AI infrastructure company founded in 2019 that develops hardware and software solutions optimized for generative AI and large language model inference. The company designs specialized processors and system architectures to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of deploying AI models at scale. d-Matrix's core technology focuses on reducing latency and power consumption in AI workloads, addressing key bottlenecks in data center operations. The company has raised $450 million across funding rounds, achieving a $2.0 billion valuation as of its Series C stage. d-Matrix competes in the competitive AI infrastructure market alongside companies developing custom silicon and inference acceleration platforms. Its approach targets enterprises and cloud providers requiring optimized inference capabilities for large-scale AI deployments. The company operates within the growing segment of AI infrastructure providers that emerged to support the infrastructure demands of modern generative AI applications. d-Matrix's positioning emphasizes efficiency gains and operational cost reduction compared to standard computing infrastructure. The company addresses a critical market need as organizations seek to deploy AI models economically while maintaining performance requirements. Its technology appeals to data center operators and enterprises managing substantial inference workloads. d-Matrix represents the category of specialized hardware companies built to support the computational demands of contemporary AI systems. The company's trajectory reflects broader industry expansion in AI infrastructure optimization and deployment technologies. d-Matrix specializes in inference optimization hardware specifically designed to reduce the computational and energy costs of deploying large language models at scale. Scale AI: Scale AI is a data infrastructure company founded in 2016 that specializes in data labeling and annotation services for artificial intelligence model development. The company provides managed workforce solutions and software platforms that enable organizations to prepare high-quality training data at scale. Scale AI's core offerings include data labeling, model evaluation, data generation, and managed workforce services across computer vision, natural language processing, and other AI domains. The company serves enterprise customers across automotive, defense, technology, and other sectors requiring large-scale data annotation for machine learning applications. Notable use cases include autonomous vehicle development, where precise labeled data is critical for training perception systems. Scale AI operates a hybrid model combining software automation with human-in-the-loop annotation capabilities. With a Series F valuation of $13.8 billion and total funding of $1.6 billion, Scale AI represents one of the highest-valued data infrastructure companies in the AI stack. The company competes in the data labeling market alongside firms like Labelbox, Snorkel AI, and various in-house solutions deployed by large technology companies. Its growth trajectory reflects increasing enterprise demand for quality training data as AI model development accelerates. Scale AI's positioning emphasizes enterprise-grade reliability, security, and quality assurance in data preparation workflows. Scale AI has achieved unicorn valuation by solving the critical bottleneck of high-quality labeled data production at enterprise scale.
Which company was founded first?
Scale AI got there first, launching in 2016 — that's 3 years of extra runway. d-Matrix didn't arrive until 2019. In AI, that kind of head start means more training data, deeper customer relationships, and a bigger talent moat.
Which company has more employees?
d-Matrix has about 150 employees; Scale AI has about 1,000. A bigger team usually means more revenue or heavier VC backing, but in AI, small teams can build at massive scale.
Are d-Matrix and Scale AI competitors?
Yes — they're direct rivals. Both d-Matrix and Scale AI compete in AI Infrastructure, targeting many of the same buyers. If you're evaluating one, you should be looking at the other.

Bottom Line

Scale AI has a clear lead here — Awaira Score of 84 vs d-Matrix's 68. The difference comes down to funding depth and strategic focus.

Who Should You Watch?

Scale AI is in the stronger position — better score and deeper pockets. But d-Matrix has room to surprise, especially if they land a marquee investor. Follow both profiles on Awaira to track funding rounds, team changes, and score updates.

Deep Dive