India, June 5 -- Venture capital across the globe has never been more obsessed with artificial intelligence (AI). Consider this. Out of the total U.S. deal value - $91.5 Bn, to be precise - 71% flowed into AI investments in the first quarter of 2025 (Jan-March). Of course, this would not have been possible without the SoftBank-led $40 Bn funding secured by OpenAI, a record amount ever raised by a private technology company. But even if we exclude the marquee deal, AI still secured 48.5% of the total investment amount in the US.

Globally, VC funding reached $126.3 Bn in the quarter, up from $118.7 Bn in Q4 2024, despite a drop in deal volume from 8,801 to 7,551. The data underscores how the growing dominance of AI is supercharging investo...