SoftBank Reportedly Agrees to Acquire Robotics and AI Institute

SoftBank Group Corp. has agreed to acquire the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI) from Hyundai Motor Group, according to multiple sources cited by The Robot Report. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The transaction had been rumored for a couple of months and is now under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a Treasury Department-led body that screens foreign investments in U.S. businesses for national-security concerns. It is not known how far along the review process currently stands.

The deal would reconnect two organizations with a shared history. RAI is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was founded in 2022 by Marc Raibert — who also founded Boston Dynamics — as part of Hyundai's broader acquisition of the robot maker. Hyundai spun out the institute with an initial investment of more than $400 million, funding that multiple sources say has since been exhausted. SoftBank, for its part, previously owned Boston Dynamics from 2017 to 2021.

RAI's research covers robot control, perception, manipulation, navigation, and AI aimed at helping robots handle complex physical tasks. Notably, the institute developed the whole-body learning framework behind the acrobatic movements demonstrated by Boston Dynamics' new-generation Atlas humanoid.

Both companies are keeping quiet on the reported transaction. "We don't have anything to share on this topic right now," the RAI Institute told The Robot Report, adding that it would provide updates when there is news to share. SoftBank did not respond to The Robot Report's inquiry by press time.

The reported acquisition arrives as SoftBank works toward closing its previously announced $5.3 billion purchase of ABB's robotics business, a deal originally expected to close by mid-to-late 2026. ABB brings decades of industrial automation experience, and pairing that installed base with RAI's AI research strengths could give SoftBank a broader robotics platform spanning both hardware deployment and cutting-edge software.

Meanwhile, Hyundai said in July 2026 that its shareholders were moving to acquire SoftBank's remaining 9.65% stake in Boston Dynamics after SoftBank exercised a "put" option on those shares. Hyundai said the move would deepen collaboration with Boston Dynamics as part of its physical AI strategy.

Raibert founded Boston Dynamics in 1992 following his early dynamic-legged robotics work at Carnegie Mellon and MIT, leading the company through the development of BigDog, Atlas, and Spot. Google acquired Boston Dynamics in 2013 and sold it to SoftBank four years later for a reported $100 million. Hyundai then acquired a controlling stake from SoftBank in 2021 in a deal valuing Boston Dynamics at $1.1 billion, with SoftBank retaining a 20% stake at the time.

Raibert stepped down as Boston Dynamics CEO in January 2020, shortly after turning 70, but launched RAI two years later to continue fundamental robotics research. It remains unclear what role, if any, he would hold if the SoftBank-RAI deal closes.

If finalized, the acquisition would give SoftBank another stake in Raibert's robotics legacy — this time as part of a robotics portfolio increasingly spanning industrial automation, warehouse robotics, and advanced AI research.