Soft Bank plans to acquire Gravis Robotics for more than $500 million to increase its AI robot layout
According to various sources, Japan The group is considering acquiring Gravis Robotics AG, a Swiss robotics startup, with a transaction valuation that may exceed US$500 million. This acquisition is an important step for SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son to deepen his "physical AI" strategy and aims to integrate Gravis' technology into Roze, a new AI robot entity company he is preparing to build. Founded in 2022, Gravis Robotics is a spin-off company incubated from the Robotic Systems Laboratory of ETH Zurich. The company focuses on developing modular autonomous control suites for heavy earthmoving machinery such as excavators, enabling existing equipment to operate autonomously by combining lidar, cameras, GNSS positioning and AI algorithms. According to the company's disclosure, its technology can increase construction efficiency by about 30%. Currently, Gravis' technology has been put into practical applications in Europe, the United States and other places, and it will complete US$23 million in financing at the end of 2025. According to sources, SoftBank plans to advance the transaction in stages, including acquiring existing shares and injecting new funds, and eventually integrating Gravis into its Roze company. Roze is a new entity set up by SoftBank to integrate its AI and robotics assets and seek a U.S. listing, with a target valuation of up to $100 billion. Analysts pointed out that the acquisition of Gravis will complement SoftBank’s technology puzzle in less automated physical scenarios such as construction, and will form synergy with its previous acquisition of ABB’s robotics business and investment in Agile Robots. At present, the two parties have not made a final decision on the size and structure of the transaction.