In a transaction that marks a watershed moment for the robotics industry, Skild AI has announced the closing of a colossal $1.4 billion funding round. This massive capital infusion, led by SoftBank Group, elevates the company’s valuation to over $14 billion and cements its position as the primary architect of the world’s first unified robotics foundation model.
The round drew an elite syndicate of investors, including NVIDIA (via its venture arm, NVentures), Macquarie Capital, and Bezos Expeditions (the investment vehicle of Jeff Bezos). High-conviction follow-on investments from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Felicis Ventures, Coatue Management, and Sequoia Capital were bolstered by a suite of strategic partners including Samsung, LG, Schneider Electric, CommonSpirit Health, and Salesforce Ventures.
One Brain, Infinite Bodies
At the heart of the company’s mission is the Skild Brain—an “omni-bodied” AI designed to operate any machine capable of movement. Unlike traditional robotics software, which is hard-coded for specific hardware, the Skild Brain is a general-purpose foundation model. It allows robots to perform tasks ranging from delicate household chores, like making an egg or loading a dishwasher, to navigating the treacherous, unpredictable terrains of a construction site or an industrial facility.
The breakthrough lies in In-Context Learning. Much like biological intelligence, the Skild Brain can adapt to a new robot body or a sudden mechanical failure—such as a jammed wheel or a lost limb—in real time, without the need for retraining. By “watching” human videos and practicing in hyper-realistic physics simulations, Skild AI has bypassed the lack of a “robotics internet” to create a continuous data flywheel.
Leadership Perspectives
“The Skild Brain can control robots it has never trained on, adapting in real time to extreme changes in form or environments. The model is forced to adapt rather than memorize – much like intelligence in nature,” stated Deepak Pathak, CEO and Co-Founder of Skild AI. “We believe that a unified, omni-bodied brain is the fastest way to establish a continuous data flywheel where the model gets better with every single deployment.”
Abhinav Gupta, Co-Founder and President of Skild AI, echoed this vision for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). “We believe this omni-bodied learning is essential for building AGI that works reliably in the physical world… This enables robots to operate dynamically in complex environments, without requiring preprogrammed instructions for each scenario.”
Representing the investor front, Dennis Chang, Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers, remarked, “Skild AI is building foundational technology for Physical AI across robots, tasks, and environments. We’re proud to partner with Deepak, Abhinav, and the team to bring that shared vision into real-world applications.”
Editorial Opinion: The Strategic Weight of Physical AI
The $1.4 billion investment into Skild AI is not just another venture capital milestone; it is the official start of the “Physical AI” era. For years, the bottleneck in robotics has been the “One Robot, One Program” limitation. By developing a universal operating system for movement, Skild AI is effectively doing for robotics what Large Language Models did for text—creating a generalist intelligence that can be deployed instantly across any hardware. The financial community’s overwhelming response, reflected in the $14 billion valuation, underscores a realization that the next frontier of productivity lies in automating the physical world, not just the digital one.
From an industrial standpoint, the diversity of the strategic investors—ranging from healthcare giant CommonSpirit Health to industrial leader Schneider Electric—signals where the first major impacts will be felt. We are looking at a future where American manufacturing and facility management can be revitalized through automation that isn’t brittle. Skild AI’s meteoric rise to $30 million in revenue within months of its 2025 launch proves that there is an insatiable enterprise hunger for “brains” that don’t need a manual. This is more than a company; it is the infrastructure for a more efficient global workforce.
If you need further assistance or have any corrections, please reach out to editor@thetimesmag.com.
Social Media Post
Skild AI Emerges as the Definitive Force in Robotics with $1.4B Investment
Skild AI has announced a monumental $1.4 billion Series B led by SoftBank Group, catapulting its valuation beyond $14 billion. This historic round includes participation from NVIDIA, Jeff Bezos, Macquarie Capital, and Sequoia Capital, alongside strategic giants like Samsung, LG, and Salesforce Ventures. Under the visionary leadership of Co-Founders Deepak Pathak (CEO) and Abhinav Gupta (President), Skild AI is pioneering the “Skild Brain”—the industry’s first omni-bodied foundation model capable of operating any robot for any task.
By utilizing breakthroughs in in-context learning, the platform enables robots to adapt to new morphologies and environments in real time without retraining. As Dennis Chang of SoftBank Investment Advisers notes, the company is building the foundational technology for Physical AI across all environments. With a rapid trajectory from zero to $30M in revenue, Skild AI is poised to redefine manufacturing and domestic assistance on a global scale.
#Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #PhysicalAI #SkildAI #SoftBank #NVIDIA #TechInnovation #FutureOfWork
If you need further assistance or have any corrections, please reach out to editor@thetimesmag.com.
