SoftBank, which has been committing billions in US investments around data centres and AI, is now aggressively pushing into another related and trending sector – robotics. SoftBank Group Corp. is reportedly in advanced talks to invest a significant amount in Pittsburgh-headquartered Skild AI. According to a report by Bloomberg, the Japanese investment powerhouse may lead a $500Mn fundraise for the AI robotics startup.
The report further suggests Skild AI touching a $4Bn valuation in this fundraise. This development becomes even more significant considering the company was founded just two years ago, in 2023. However, there has been no official comment from SoftBank or Skild AI regarding the development.
Skild AI is known for building a general-purpose AI model for robots that is robust and adapts to unseen scenarios without failure. The company is primarily developing software that enables robots to perform increasingly complex tasks and adapt to new tasks without needing pre-programmed instructions. The company claims to be developing an intelligent embodied system that will completely transform productivity and elevate human potential.
Skild AI was founded by Deepak Pathak and Abhinav Gupta, professors at Carnegie Mellon University. Both are well-versed in the AI industry, having previously worked as AI researchers at Meta Platforms.
SoftBank is already an investor in Skild AI. In July 2024, the startup raised approximately $300 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners, SoftBank Group, Jeff Bezos, and others. At that time, the company was valued at $1.5 billion. Skild AI counts Amazon, Menlo Ventures, Felicis, CRV, General Catalyst, and Sequoia Capital among its investors as well.
This development comes at a time when SoftBank is heavily investing in the artificial intelligence domain. Just a few days ago, the investment firm announced the Stargate Project, in collaboration with OpenAI, Oracle, Microsoft, and Nvidia. This joint venture intends to allocate $500 billion over the next 4 years to strengthen AI infrastructure in the United States, starting with $100 billion in the first year. SoftBank and OpenAI are each reportedly planning to contribute $19 billion in capital to Stargate in the initial year.
Robotics seems to be gaining popularity with AI once again. In fact, the maker of ChatGPT is reportedly considering entering the sector once more, this time with the development of a full-fledged humanoid robot.
Samsung is also not behind in the race, as last month the electronics giant announced it would become the largest shareholder in Rainbow Robotics, the company whose founders claim to have developed South Korea’s first two-legged walking robot, ‘Hubo.’ In the meantime, the world’s largest AI chipmaker, NVIDIA, is also planning to launch a new generation of compact ‘Jetson Thor’ computers for humanoid robots. The global robotics market size is expected to reach over $200 billion by 2030.