SoftBank is in discussions to invest $500 million in Skild AI, a company developing a foundational AI model for robotics, at a $4 billion valuation, according to reports from Bloomberg and Financial Times. The two-year-old startup previously secured $300 million in funding last July at a $1.5 billion valuation, with backing from Jeff Bezos, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Coatue Management.
Co-founders Deepak Pathak and Abhinav Gupta have described Skild AI’s technology as a generalized AI model adaptable to various robotic applications, allowing customization for specific domains and use cases. The company is part of a growing wave of AI-driven robotics startups attracting major investment as AI and automation continue to converge.
Investor interest in AI-powered robotics has surged in the past year. Physical Intelligence, which raised $400 million at a $2 billion valuation in November, is building AI-powered robotic “brains,” while Figure AI secured $675 million in February to develop a humanoid robot, with funding from Microsoft, OpenAI Startup Fund, Nvidia, and Bezos Expeditions.
As AI continues to redefine robotics, Skild AI’s push to develop scalable intelligence for machines positions it as a key player in the evolving landscape of automation and artificial intelligence.
