SoftBank in Talks to Lead Funding for Robotics Startup Skild AI

  • Published on January 29, 2025
  • In AI News

The investment could raise Skild AI’s valuation to nearly $4 billion.

Softbank robotics

Tokyo-based SoftBank is in discussions to lead a funding round for Skild AI, potentially raising the robotics start-up’s valuation to nearly $4 billion, as per reports. This investment, backed by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son, would more than double Skild’s previous valuation.

The investment would surpass the $300 million raised in Skild’s first funding round in July 2023. However, talks are still in the early stages, and a final agreement is not guaranteed. SoftBank and Skild have not responded to inquiries.

Founded in Pittsburgh in 2023, Skild AI aims to develop a scalable foundation model for robotics. The company describes its AI system as a “general-purpose brain” that enables robots to function with agility, dexterity, and safety, increasing automation potential in real-world applications.  

Skild’s previous funding round, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue, SoftBank, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Bezos Expeditions, valued the company at $1.5 billion. Lightspeed is expected to participate in the new round, but it remains unclear which other investors will join.

Robotics is becoming a key focus in the AI industry. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has shifted his focus towards humanoid robots. At the same time, NVIDIA chief Jensen Huang recently called robotics a “multitrillion-dollar” opportunity, with the company striking a deal with Toyota for self-driving technology.  

SoftBank’s investment aligns with Son’s broader AI vision, which includes data centres, autonomous driving, and robotics, with chip design firm Arm at the core.  

This development follows SoftBank’s recent partnership with OpenAI to launch The Stargate Project, a $500 billion AI infrastructure project. SoftBank will take financial responsibility for the initiative, which involves partners such as MGX, Oracle, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Arm.  

However, questions remain over Stargate’s feasibility. The project has yet to secure the necessary funding and will receive no government support. 

The AI industry’s rapid growth has also sparked debate on cost efficiency. Chinese start-up DeepSeek recently demonstrated the ability to develop AI models on smaller budgets, raising concerns over the long-term sustainability of Western firms’ high-cost AI infrastructure strategies.

Picture of Sanjana Gupta

Sanjana Gupta

An information designer who loves to learn about and try new developments in the field of tech and AI. She likes to spend her spare time reading and exploring absurdism in literature.

Association of Data Scientists

GenAI Corporate Training Programs

India’s Biggest Developers Summit

February 5 – 7, 2025 | Nimhans Convention Center, Bangalore

Download the easiest way to

stay informed

Subscribe to The Belamy: Our Weekly Newsletter

Biggest AI stories, delivered to your inbox every week.

February 5 – 7, 2025 | Nimhans Convention Center, Bangalore

Rising 2025 | DE&I in Tech & AI

Mar 20 and 21, 2025 | 📍 J N Tata Auditorium, Bengaluru

Data Engineering Summit 2025

15-16 May, 2025 | 📍 Taj Yeshwantpur, Bengaluru, India

17-19 September, 2025 | 📍KTPO, Whitefield, Bangalore, India

MachineCon GCC Summit 2025

19-20th June 2025 | Bangalore

discord icon

Our Discord Community for AI Ecosystem.

0
Show Comments (0) Hide Comments (0)
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x