SoftBank to Invest $300 Million More in Agile Robots, Betting on Physical and Embodied AI

TradingKey – On June 2, SoftBank Group is in advanced talks to invest an additional $300 million in Agile Robots, a German industrial robotics company. The total funding round is expected to reach approximately $800 million, aimed at capacity expansion and global market development.

This marks SoftBank's second investment in Agile Robots, following its lead role in the company’s $220 million Series C round in 2021, which made it Germany's first robotics unicorn.

Founded in Munich in 2018, Agile Robots is a spin-off from the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Founder Dr. Zhaopeng Chen previously served as the deputy director of a laboratory at the institute. The company specializes in AI-driven intelligent robotic systems, with a business scope covering humanoid robots, robotic arms, and warehouse automation.

Reports indicate the company now employs over 3,200 people, with 2024 revenue reaching approximately 200 million euros. It plans to launch the Agile ONE, a full-size industrial humanoid robot, in 2025, with mass production scheduled for early 2026 at its Bavarian factory. Customers include Foxconn, BMW, and Volkswagen.

From a financial perspective, this investment will have a negligible impact on SoftBank's short-term profits. Assuming a 10% net profit margin for Agile Robots and a 20% stake held by SoftBank, the annual profit contribution would be approximately $6 million. Given SoftBank's projected net profit of 5 trillion yen (around $31.7 billion) for fiscal year 2025, the $6 million contribution represents only about 0.02%.

In fact, SoftBank is building a "Physical AI" closed-loop system spanning from chips to industrial automation: Arm provides the chip architecture, OpenAI provides large model capabilities, supplemented by infrastructure such as data centers. In October 2025, SoftBank acquired ABB's robotics business for $5.375 billion, gaining industrial execution capabilities and sales channels. While ABB excels in mature, large-scale industrial automation, Agile Robots focuses on embodied intelligence—namely, the machine's perception and fine manipulation capabilities. This is an area ABB has not fully covered, and SoftBank needs Agile Robots to fill this technical gap.

Regarding market reaction, SoftBank's share price fell by more than 3% on June 3. Analysts pointed out that while robotics is a long-term story, SoftBank's valuation already reflects significant AI expectations, and the material impact of a single $300 million investment on earnings per share (EPS) is negligible.

Overall, SoftBank's follow-on investment in Agile Robots is essentially a strategic cost paid for the long-term direction of "embodied intelligence," rather than a pursuit of short-term financial returns. SoftBank's core valuation remains dependent on OpenAI's listing performance and Arm's transition toward AI chips.