XRlabs has raised $8.4 million in seed funding led by Playground Global to expand its AI-powered Surgical Intelligence platform, which analyzes surgical data in real time and is designed to work with existing operating-room equipment.
Eka Ventures also participated in the round, and XRlabs received a compute allocation from the U.K. AI Research Resource, the government-backed national AI computing infrastructure. The company said the funding will be used to expand its engineering and clinical teams, advance regulatory work in the U.K., Europe and the U.S., and build clinical evidence across partner institutions on three continents. Omar Ishrak has joined XRlabs as chair of the board.
“Our conviction is that the operating room is the next frontier for physical AI,” neurosurgeon, founder and CEO Dr. Haddad said in the announcement. “Surgery generates extraordinary data, yet almost none of it becomes intelligence in the moments that matter most. This financing lets us change that at scale, moving Surgical Intelligence from landmark first cases to foundational infrastructure in every operating room.”
The London-based company, which also maintains an office in Palo Alto, develops software that acts as an external AI layer for surgical systems. Using computer vision and deep learning, the platform analyzes live surgical video and combines it with data from other systems during operations. XRlabs said its software has been used in more than 100 surgical cases across three continents and can merge live surgical video, navigation data and preoperative CT and MRI images into a single view.
The system is built to work across different devices rather than forcing hospitals to replace equipment: it can run with 4K 3D surgical scopes and connect with navigation systems to present consolidated intraoperative information to surgical teams.
Surgical Intelligence: how the platform works
XRlabs describes its approach as Surgical Intelligence and positions the software as an AI co-pilot for operating-room teams, connecting information from multiple systems to provide real-time assistance rather than controlling a single device. The company reported a first-in-human use of physical AI in cranial neurosurgery under research conditions with the ORBEYE 4K 3D exoscope. XRlabs also said its technology was used to design patient-specific implants for the separation of craniopagus twins in collaboration with U.K. charity Gemini Untwined. XRlabs SIM, the company’s system for AI and extended-reality surgical planning, was included among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025.
Funding, partners and next steps
Alongside Playground Global and Eka Ventures, XRlabs was named a global Nvidia robotics partner and is using Nvidia Jetson Thor and Isaac for Healthcare technology for functions including low-latency perception, surgical-tool tracking and automation based on user intent, according to the company. With the new capital and resources, XRlabs plans to grow its teams, progress regulatory approvals in the U.K., Europe and the U.S., and build clinical evidence across its partner network. The company noted operations in London and Palo Alto.
Omar Ishrak, who joined as board chair, served as Medtronic chairman and chief executive from 2011 to 2020, previously chaired Intel’s board and currently serves on the boards of Amgen and Cleveland Clinic.
