SoftBank agrees to acquire Robotics and AI Institute
Marc Raibert (center) spoke with editor Steve Crowe in a 2023 Robotics Summit & Expo keynote. SoftBank Group Corp. has agreed to acquire the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI) from Hyundai Motor Group, according to multiple sources. Financial terms of the deal are unknown at this time. The deal has been rumored for a couple of months, but it is now being reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The RAI is based in Cambridge, Mass., while SoftBank is a Japane
SoftBank Group Corp. has agreed to acquire the Robotics and AI Institute from Hyundai Motor Group, though financial terms remain undisclosed and the deal is currently under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. The institute, founded in 2022 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, conducts research in robot control, perception, manipulation, navigation, and AI to enable robots to perform complex physical tasks. This acquisition is significant because it reunites the institute with Marc Raibert, its founder who also founded Boston Dynamics, which SoftBank previously owned and later sold to Hyundai. The deal would combine SoftBank's growing portfolio in industrial robots and warehouse automation with the institute's specialized expertise in AI research.
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