Samsung, Nvidia, and SoftBank Just Made a $4.5B Robot Bet--Here's What It Means for the Future of AI

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While Nvidia is leaning in to expand its physical AI footprint, Samsung sees this as a low-risk way to stay close to the actionespecially with local rivals like LG, Hanwha, and Mirae Asset also quietly joining the round with $510 million each. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Signs with SSNLF. For Nvidia, this isn't just another side bet. The company has been steadily positioning itself as the engine room behind autonomous machinesoffering chips, software, and developer tools for what it calls physical AI. Skild could slot neatly into that narrative.
Samsung, on the other hand, appears to be taking a more cautious view. Insiders say the Korean giant doesn't rate all of Skild's solutions as best-in-class, but it still wants access to the startup's team and roadmap. This isn't Samsung's first robotics foray either. It's invested in Physical Intelligence, controls a stake in Rainbow Robotics, and is preparing to launch the Ballie robot with Googlea soccer-ball-shaped bot that can project video onto walls. Meanwhile, the broader robotics land grab is gaining momentum.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is prepping its Optimus robot for commercialization. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Meta (NASDAQ:META), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) are also racing to build their own next-gen humanoids. These aren't just futuristic moonshots anymorethey're shaping up to be real businesses. And Skild's latest round, backed by three of the world's biggest tech investors, signals just how serious this new frontier is becoming. The physical world might be robotics' next platformand no one wants to be left behind.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.