December 9, 2025 – SoftBank Group and NVIDIA are reportedly in talks to lead a funding round exceeding 1billionforSkildAI,asoftwarefirmfocusedondevelopingfoundationalroboticsmodels.Theinvestmentwouldvaluethestartupatapproximately14 billion, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
Founded nearly three years ago, Skild AI differentiates itself by avoiding hardware development, instead creating a robot-agnostic foundational model adaptable to various robotic systems and use cases. This approach contrasts with competitors building proprietary hardware-software ecosystems. The company’s July 2025 launch of its “Skild Brain” universal robotics model demonstrated capabilities such as handling cutlery and navigating stairs, with video demonstrations showcasing its versatility.
Strategic partnerships with LG CNS and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) aim to expand Skild AI’s ecosystem, while its funding trajectory reflects surging investor confidence in AI-driven robotics. The startup’s previous valuation of 4.7billioninMay2025followeda500 million Series C round led by SoftBank, with participation from NVIDIA, Samsung, and LG Technology Ventures.
The sector’s momentum is underscored by rival Physical Intelligence, which recently secured 600millionata5.6 billion valuation in a CapitalG-led round. However, an investor who passed on Physical Intelligence cited its early-stage model development as a concern, according to TechCrunch.
Humanoid robotics firms are also attracting massive capital. Figure AI raised over 1billioninSeptember2025ata39 billion valuation, while 1X Technologies is negotiating a potential 1billionfundingroundthatcouldvalueitat10 billion, The Information reported months earlier.
Skild AI’s model-centric strategy positions it as a key player in a landscape where software innovation increasingly drives robotics advancement, even as hardware-focused competitors like Figure and 1X dominate headlines with their astronomical valuations.
