TMTPOST -- AI-driven search engine Perplexity has reportedly raised $500 million in a new funding round, boosting the company’s valuation to an impressive $9 billion. According to Bloomberg, which cited sources familiar with the matter, the funding round was led by Institutional Venture Partners and concluded earlier in December. When approached by TechCrunch, a Perplexity spokesperson declined to comment on the report. The substantial funding highlights intensifying competition in the AI-powered search market. OpenAI recently introduced ChatGPT Search as a direct challenger to Perplexity, while Google is also ramping up its efforts. The tech giant is developing features such as AI-generated summaries and direct answers integrated into search results. Adding to the rivalry, The Information reported this week that Google is considering a bold step by embedding an "AI mode" into its flagship Google Search, potentially incorporating chatbot-like functionalities.