Tech giants bet on Skild AI to power advanced robots

Samsung Electronics Co. and Nvidia Corp. will invest in Skild AI Inc. They aim to strengthen their efforts in the growing consumer robotics ecosystem.

According to people who are knowledgeable about the investment, the South Korean tech leader is investing $10 million in Skild, a company that makes software for robots. On the other hand, the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker is investing $25 million.

Samsung and Nvidia invest in “physical AI” for future growth 

Samsung sees its investment in Skild as a way to stay connected with the startup and its talent without making a big commitment. Another reason is to stay competitive with fellow South Korean conglomerates such as LG, Hanwha, and Mirae Asset, each of which has divisions investing between $5 and $10 million in Skild.

Nvidia has started to promote the concept of “physical AI” — robots and autonomous vehicles — as a major future source of revenue as technology develops. The chipmaker has semiconductors, software, and services to accelerate the rollout of robots that can think for themselves.

The funding comes as part of Skild AI’s Series B funding round, giving it a value of about $4.5 billion. This round is backed by a $100 million investment from SoftBank Group Corp in Japan. 

According to sources who knew about the situation, this came after SoftBank Group Corp. discussed plans to lead a $500 million investment round for Skild AI. 

Some people have, however, mentioned that Samsung thinks certain features of Skild’s solutions are not as good as others available in the market. 

A few months back, Samsung also made a small investment by buying a minority stake in Physical Intelligence, a company that develops robotics algorithms. This startup has recently raised about $400 million and was valued at around $2.4 billion. Meanwhile, Nvidia has invested in companies such as Figure AI and Serve Robotics. 

Samsung’s Spokespeople, Nvidia, and Skild spokesman declined a request for comment. 

Several tech companies aim to advance to humanoid robots

Robotics is rapidly becoming a key area for future growth in technology companies worldwide. Major players like Apple Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and Google, part of Alphabet Inc., are making significant investments in this field. Tesla Inc. has also been getting ready to launch its Optimus robot. 

Tesla’s Optimus is a versatile, two-legged robot that works independently and is made to handle dangerous, repetitive, or dull tasks. According to the tech firm, it runs on advanced artificial intelligence, allowing it to move around and engage with the world and videos made by people. Optimus is expected to be useful in manufacturing, helping at home, and gathering data. 

Interestingly, Apple Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. are currently competing in the market for mixed-reality headsets. Soon, they might also go head-to-head in a more thrilling area: humanoid robots. 

Additionally, Samsung currently sells robot vacuums, but it aims to expand its offerings to include humanoid robots and other household devices. 

Working with Google, Samsung will release Ballie, a soccer-ball-size machine that can roll and project videos onto walls later this year.

Samsung Electronics also holds most of the shares in Rainbow Robotics, which develops humanoid robots. The firm is here to play an important part in Samsung’s work on robotics.

This development in the AI landscape sounds like the stuff of a science fiction movie — robots in our homes that can fold the laundry, bring you a glass of water, load the dishwasher, or even push your kids on a swing outdoors.

For the longest time, this future felt out of reach. But now, it is starting to seem a little more real, thanks to some of the world’s largest tech companies.

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