As investor appetite for robotics surges, Skild AI is attracting major backing for its foundational robot brain — not hardware.
Skild AI Nears $14B Valuation in Talks with SoftBank and Nvidia
Skild AI, the robotics startup building a robot-agnostic foundation model, is in talks to raise over $1 billion in new funding led by SoftBank Group and Nvidia, according to a Reuters report. The potential deal would value the company at $14 billion — nearly triple its $4.7 billion valuation from just seven months ago.
This would mark a significant leap in valuation for a company founded less than three years ago, reflecting booming investor interest in AI-powered robotics — particularly those focused on software-first, scalable solutions.
From $500M to $1B: Investor Momentum Is Accelerating
In May 2025, Skild raised $500 million in a round led by SoftBank, with participation from Nvidia, LG Technology Ventures, Samsung, and others, according to PitchBook. The latest investment talks would double the capital raised and almost triple the valuation.
Neither Skild nor its potential backers have confirmed the new deal, and all parties declined to comment.
What Makes Skild AI Different? It’s Not the Hardware
In a space dominated by expensive, proprietary humanoid robotics, Skild AI is taking a software-first approach. Rather than building a single robot, Skild is creating Skild Brain — a foundation model that can control a wide variety of robots.
The idea is to decouple intelligence from hardware, letting manufacturers and developers plug Skild’s model into different form factors — from industrial arms to mobile platforms.
Skild Brain was unveiled in July, with demo videos showing robots:
- Picking up dishes
- Navigating staircases
- Performing complex multi-step tasks
Its partners already include LG CNS and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, signaling a growing enterprise ecosystem around its model.
Robotics Foundation Models Are the New Frontier
Skild is one of several high-profile companies racing to become the “OpenAI of robots.” It’s part of a larger trend toward “general-purpose physical intelligence” — enabling a single AI model to operate across many environments.
Other major players include:
- Figure, which raised $1B+ at a $39B valuation to build humanoid robots
- 1X, which is reportedly seeking $1B at a $10B valuation
- Physical Intelligence, rumored to have raised $600M at a $5.6B valuation, though still in early development
But unlike most of those startups, Skild isn’t tied to a single body. This flexibility may make it more attractive to investors betting on the future of robot-as-a-platform ecosystems.
Why SoftBank and Nvidia Are Doubling Down
Both SoftBank and Nvidia have strong incentives to lead this round.
- SoftBank, long a robotics evangelist, is looking to rebound after the collapse of previous bets like Boston Dynamics and Pepper. Investing in software over hardware may offer more upside and lower operational risk.
- Nvidia, which dominates the AI chip market, is fueling the compute demands of next-gen robotics. Skild’s reliance on high-performance GPUs makes it a natural partner.
With Nvidia and SoftBank leading, Skild would have capital, compute, and commercial reach — key ingredients to scaling a robotics foundation model.
