Brahma acquires Metaphysic to scale AI-powered content creation

Brahma, the AI and content technology company created by the DNEG Group, has acquired Metaphysic, a developer of AI-driven content creation technologies. This merger is poised to accelerate Brahma’s mission of delivering AI-powered tools for enterprises, intellectual property (IP) rights-holders, and content creators, empowering them to produce high-quality content at scale.

The acquisition integrates Metaphysic’s generative AI capabilities, known for creating hyper-realistic digital content, into Brahma’s extensive technology portfolio. Brahma has been developing AI-native products that span video, image, and audio content.

The merger will enable Brahma to enhance its suite of AI-driven tools, combining Metaphysic’s groundbreaking AI advancements with DNEG’s award-winning visual effects and animation expertise.

The acquisition brings Brahma’s post-transaction valuation to $1.43 billion. The company was launched in 2024 after Abu Dhabi-based investor United Al Saqer Group (UASG) invested $200 million into the DNEG Group.

UASG will now contribute an additional $25 million to Brahma. Metaphysic’s existing investors, including Liberty Global, S32, Rakuten Capital, TO Ventures, and 8VC, will also become shareholders in Brahma, ensuring strong financial backing for the company’s future growth.

DNEG Group, the privately held parent of VFX powerhouse DNEG, also owns Prime Focus, creator of the Clear asset management tools, and Ziva, a 3D character technology firm acquired last year.

Prabhu Narasimhan, executive chairman of Brahma, articulated the strategic intent behind the move, stating, “With Brahma, we are taking DNEG’s multiple Academy Award-winning visual effects and animation toolsets and marrying them with the incredible power of generative AI to create a suite of AI content products, including what we believe will be the industry’s leading photorealistic AI video creator.” This vision extends Brahma’s reach beyond the high-budget entertainment sector to enterprises and independent content creators across various industries.

Post-acquisition, Brahma’s global team will comprise over 800 engineers and creative technologists. This expanded team will merge the technological strengths of the DNEG Group’s portfolio—including Ziva’s digital human and character simulation tools—with Metaphysic’s AI expertise. The company will also leverage the Clear AI platform, developed over eight years for content discovery, creation, and management, to further refine its product suite.

Namit Malhotra, founder and CEO of the DNEG Group, remains the interim CEO of Brahma, while Metaphysic’s CEO, Thomas Graham, assumes the role of president of Brahma. Once integration is complete, Graham will transition into the CEO role.

Other key executives include Ramki Sankaranarayanan as president of Clear, Paul Salvini as CTO, and Crawford Doran as vice president of Ziva.

Graham emphasised the company’s broad ambitions, saying, “Brahma offers every business a strategy for generative AI content creation, from owning their data to delivering amazing, user-customised AI content across video, image, and audio.” This highlights the potential of Brahma’s tools to provide scalable AI solutions for businesses looking to create high-quality, personalised content.

Malhotra reinforced Brahma’s transformative potential, stating, “Brahma’s acquisition of Metaphysic turbocharges the development of a truly game-changing suite of content creation and management products, fuelled by the limitless potential of AI.” He further underscored Brahma’s goal to redefine storytelling and content production, enabling industries ranging from media and entertainment to retail, healthcare, and education to leverage AI in unprecedented ways.

For the advertising industry, the integration of Brahma and Metaphysic’s technologies presents several possibilities. AI-driven content creation is becoming increasingly relevant as brands and agencies seek more personalised and efficient ways to engage consumers. Brahma’s AI-powered solutions will allow advertisers to produce hyper-realistic, customisable digital content at scale, reducing production costs and timelines while maintaining high creative standards.

DNEG played a key role in the visual effects for Dune and its technology was also instrumental in recreating the likeness of the late Richard Carter, originally Mad Max: Fury Road’s Bullet Farmer, for actor Lee Perry in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Additionally, its tools contributed to Alien: Romulus, helping replicate the late Ian Holm’s appearance from the 1979 Alien.

As AI-generated content gains traction, the ethical and regulatory considerations around deepfakes, digital likeness rights, and IP security will become critical. Brahma’s emphasis on securing user data and offering IP rights-holders full control over their AI-generated content suggests a proactive approach to addressing these challenges.

Brahma’s acquisition of Metaphysic marks a turning point in AI-powered storytelling and content production. With its enhanced capabilities, Brahma could well disrupt traditional content creation workflows by providing accessible, scalable, and high-fidelity AI solutions, enabling brands, agencies, and content creators to push creative boundaries.