SoftBank and Nvidia Consider Joining Funding Round for Robotics Firm Skild AI
SoftBank Group and Nvidia are reportedly in talks to participate in a more than $1 billion funding round for Skild AI, a maker of foundation models for robots.
The round, which has not been finalized and could change, could nearly triple Skild’s valuation from the $4.7 billion it attained earlier this year to around $14 billion, Reuters reported Monday (Dec. 8), citing a term sheet.
Skild raised $500 million in the Series B round in which it was valued at $4.7 billion, and it raised $300 million in a Series A round that valued it at $1.5 billion last year, according to the report.
When announcing its Series A funding round in July 2024, Skild said its model was being designed as a “shared, general-purpose brain” for a variety of robots, scenarios and tasks. Unlike those designed for specific applications, it aims to enable the use of low-cost robots for a broad range of industries and applications.
“With general purpose robots that can safely perform any automated task, in any environment, and with any type of embodiment, we can expand the capabilities of robots, democratize their cost, and support the severely understaffed labor market,” Abhinav Gupta, president and co-founder of Skild AI, said at the time in a press release.
In July, Skild introduced an AI model called “Skild Brain” and said the model can run on almost any robot, from humanoids to table-top arms, and enable them to think, function and respond more like humans.
“We post-train this foundation model using targeted real-world data to deliver working solutions to our customers,” the company said at the time in a blog post.
It was reported in May that Nvidia unveiled more than 70 research papers showing how AI can perform in real-world settings that go far beyond text and images.
The chip company advanced what it calls “embodied intelligence,” or AI that can perceive, reason and act in industries including manufacturing, biotechnology and transportation.
Meanwhile, SoftBank Group said in October that it plans to acquire ABB’s robotics business for $5.375 billion to complement its existing investments in AI and robots.
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