SoftBank Nvidia Eye $14B Skild AI Investment Fueling Robotics Boom

Reports indicate SoftBank and Nvidia are in advanced talks to invest heavily in Skild AI, valuing the robotics-focused startup at $14 billion in a move underscoring explosive growth in AI-driven automation. Founded by former Google DeepMind and OpenAI engineers, Skild AI specializes in foundation models for physical AI, enabling robots to handle diverse tasks from warehouse picking to household chores with human-like dexterity. This potential funding round follows Skild's $300 million Series A earlier in 2025, signaling confidence in scalable robotics platforms amid labor shortages and manufacturing demands.

Skild AI's flagship technology revolves around generative AI models trained on vast multimodal datasets, allowing robots to generalize skills across environments without task-specific retraining. Investors like SoftBank, with its Vision Fund history in robotics via Boston Dynamics, and Nvidia, dominant in AI chips and simulation software like Isaac, see Skild as pivotal for deploying agentic AI in real-world hardware. The $14 billion valuation reflects a premium on Skild's progress toward commercial pilots with enterprise partners in logistics and eldercare.

This deal highlights a broader trend where robotics AI startups command unicorn-plus valuations faster than ever, driven by advancements in vision-language models and reinforcement learning. Skild competes with players like Figure AI and 1X Technologies, but its emphasis on open-source compatibility and edge deployment positions it for rapid enterprise adoption. SoftBank's involvement could accelerate global expansion, while Nvidia's stake bolsters GPU-optimized training pipelines for robot fleets.

Market analysts point to robotics as the next AI frontier, with projections estimating a $200 billion industry by 2030 fueled by humanoid deployments. Skild's backers aim to outpace China-led competition by integrating AI reasoning with precise manipulation, addressing gaps in current cobots' brittleness. Successful funding would provide runway for hardware iterations and large-scale data collection from deployed units.

The investment frenzy validates physical AI's maturity, shifting from research prototypes to revenue-generating solutions transforming supply chains and services.