It’s planning to accelerate the commercialization of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot, Bloomberg says.
Hyundai is preparing to acquire Softbank’s remaining stake on Boston Dynamics, according to Bloomberg. The Korean automaker purchased an 80 percent stake on the robotics company back in 2020, while Softbank retained a 20 percent stake. Hyundai is now reportedly reviewing its contractual rights and obligations before snapping up Softbank’s remaining 9.9 percent stake valued roughly at $325 million. If the deal pushes through, Hyundai will have full ownership of Boston Dynamics.
As Bloomberg notes, the acquisition could be a massive windfall for Hyundai, as companies move towards the development of physical AI products. If and when it gets full control of Boston Dynamics, Hyundai intends to build an end-to-end AI robotics chain. “Through this integrated approach, the group aims to accelerate the development, validation and commercialization of Physical AI technologies and robotics solutions,” Hyundai told Bloomberg in a statement.
The company’s plans center around Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot. At CES earlier this year, the robotics firm presented a production-ready version of the machine after years of testing it and even forcing it to dance in its videos. More recently, Atlas made an appearance at the FIFA World Cup, walking down the player tunnel and handing over the match ball to a referee.
Hyundai is building and continuing the development of Atlas with NVIDIA and Google DeepMind as its partners. It’s hoping to start producing Atlas at its plant in Georgia sometime in 2028 and to eventually manufacture as many as 30,000 humanoid machines every year. To start with, Atlas robots will take on simple tasks, such as logistics and welding, but Boston Dynamics expects them to be used for more complex manufacturing and component assembly processes by 2030.
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