Japan’s SoftBank Group and U.S. chip giant Nvidia are in advanced talks to pour more than $1 billion into Skild AI, a fast-rising developer of foundation models for robots, according to sources and a term sheet reviewed by Reuters. The funding could value the startup at roughly $14 billion — nearly triple the $4.7 billion valuation it secured earlier this year.
The deal, if finalized, would mark one of the largest-ever investments in AI-powered robotics. Skild AI, founded in 2023 by former Meta researchers and backed by Amazon and Lightspeed Venture Partners, is attempting to solve one of the industry’s toughest problems: giving robots a universal “brain” capable of perception, reasoning and adaptability across different environments and machine types. Rather than building hardware, Skild develops general-purpose robotics models trained on vast datasets, aiming to enable robots to operate in factories, warehouses and even homes.
Investor enthusiasm for humanoid and general-purpose robots has surged as generative AI drives rapid capability gains, Reuters notes. Skild’s July unveiling of its first general-purpose robotics model — an AI system flexible enough to handle both warehouse logistics and household chores — fueled even more interest. Earlier rounds drew backing from Jeff Bezos, Samsung, LG’s venture arm, SoftBank and Khosla Ventures.
Still, researchers caution that fully general-purpose robots remain years away from mainstream deployment. Despite massive leaps in machine learning, teaching robots to navigate unpredictable real-world environments with human-like dexterity is an ongoing technical challenge.
Sources tell Reuters the current funding talks are fluid but expected to conclude before Christmas. SoftBank, which recently acquired ABB’s robotics division for $5.4 billion, has made robotics a centerpiece of CEO Masayoshi Son’s strategy. A person familiar with the talks said SoftBank was impressed by Skild’s technology during pilot tests. Nvidia, already an investor, declined comment.
The robotics push is gaining political momentum as well. According to Politico, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been meeting with industry leaders as the Trump administration considers an executive order next year to accelerate U.S. robotics development.
Skild’s Series A round last year raised $300 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, and its rapid ascent embodies the feverish capital pouring into AI-plus-robotics startups. If the new round closes, it would cement Skild as one of the highest-valued players in a sector investors now see as the next major frontier of AI.
