SoftBank and Nvidia are said to be negotiating an investment in Skild AI at a $14 billion valuation, which would almost triple the company's worth

SoftBank and Nvidia Eye Major Investment in Skild AI

According to a Reuters report, SoftBank Group and Nvidia are in discussions to jointly invest over $1 billion in Skild AI, a software firm specializing in foundational robotics models. This potential deal would value Skild AI at $14 billion.

Skild AI, which was established nearly three years ago, previously achieved a valuation of $4.7 billion in May after securing $500 million in funding. That round was led by SoftBank and included contributions from LG Technology Ventures, Samsung, Nvidia, and other investors, as per PitchBook. Skild AI did not immediately provide a comment, while both SoftBank and Nvidia also declined to respond.

Skild AI’s Unique Approach

Unlike many other startups in the robotics sector, Skild AI is not focused on creating its own hardware. Instead, the company is developing a flexible, robot-agnostic foundational model that can be adapted for a wide array of robotic platforms and applications.

In July, Skild AI introduced its Skild Brain, a versatile robot model showcased in demonstrations where robots performed tasks such as handling dishes and navigating stairs. The company has also formed key alliances with LG CNS and Hewlett Packard Enterprise to help expand its ecosystem.

Growing Investor Interest in AI Robotics

The field of AI-powered robotics is attracting increasing attention from investors. Physical Intelligence, another company working on advanced AI “brains” for diverse robots, reportedly raised $600 million at a $5.6 billion valuation, with CapitalG leading the round. However, some investors have noted that Physical Intelligence’s technology is still in its early development stages.

Other notable developments in the sector include Figure, which raised over $1 billion in September at a $39 billion valuation for its humanoid robot project. Meanwhile, 1X, another company developing humanoid robots, has reportedly been negotiating to raise up to $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation, according to The Information.