Gravis Robotics has raised $200 million in a Series A investment from SoftBank to scale its autonomous heavy machinery technology across construction sites globally.
The company says growing demand for energy networks, data centers, housing, transit and climate-resilient infrastructure is placing increasing pressure on the construction industry. Labor shortages are adding to the challenge, while heavy construction remains one of the least automated major industries.
Founded in 2022 and spun out of ETH Zurich, Gravis develops physical AI technology designed to bring software-defined intelligence and autonomous operation to heavy construction machinery.
Unlike autonomous vehicles and many other robotic systems that operate in relatively static environments, excavators continuously interact with and alter their surroundings.
They encounter changing soil conditions, hidden rocks and other unpredictable forces while reshaping the ground with every movement of the bucket.
Gravis addresses this challenge using AI models trained through large-scale simulation. The company says its synthetic training environments allow its systems to move billions of cubic yards of virtual earth across conditions ranging from soft clay to rock-filled soil, helping bridge the gap between simulation and real-world operation.
Its AI world model also incorporates the performance characteristics of machinery from different manufacturers rather than being designed around a single machine.
Dominic Jud, CTO and co-founder of Gravis Robotics, says: “Skilled operators read the earth through subtle physical feedback – listening to the engine strain, sensing the machine vibration and reacting to hydraulic resistance.
“Our AI takes that same physical input and grounds it in machine telemetry, responding to varying subterranean forces and soil mechanics at microsecond speeds.
“We didn’t try to simplify the world for our software; we gave it the physical intuition to handle real jobsites with precision that goes beyond what any human can feel from inside the cab.”
Autonomous technology for mixed equipment fleets
Gravis develops its technology for the fragmented heavy equipment market, where contractors frequently operate machinery from several manufacturers based on existing fleet investments and regional service relationships.
Its software runs on the Gravis Rack, an autonomous control kit that has been installed on machinery from Caterpillar, Case, Develon, John Deere, JCB, Hitachi, Sumitomo, Yanmar and Volvo, among others.
The company’s learning-based models allow the same core software to operate different sizes and types of machinery without custom reprogramming.
Gravis says its systems deliver up to a 30 percent improvement in jobsite productivity compared with peak manual operation while also improving worksite safety.
The software supports different levels of automation, ranging from AI-assisted manual operation to full autonomy.
Gravis Copilot keeps operators inside the cab while providing real-time 3D guidance and hazard detection. Under full autonomous operation, workers can move away from the machinery and supervise multiple robotic machines from safer locations.
Gravis-equipped machines also operate as continuous site sensors, automatically performing surveying and hazard mapping while carrying out construction work.
Funding supports global rollout
Gravis says its systems are already deployed with infrastructure companies across four continents. The $200 million investment supports further international deployment and the integration of its autonomous technology into existing heavy equipment fleets.
The company has also been selected to lead an $8 million UK government-backed CAM Pathfinder project in partnership with Flannery Plant Hire, a major UK provider of operated heavy-equipment rentals.
The project involves retrofitting excavator fleets with the Gravis Rack to give contractors on-demand access to autonomous machinery and support the UK’s $716 billion infrastructure pipeline.
Ryan Luke Johns, CEO and co-founder of Gravis Robotics, says: “To build the future, we need to change the world, literally. Whether we are building housing, modernizing energy grids, or scaling data centers, every project starts with moving earth.
“That foundational work has been the bottleneck slowing down the entire built environment. Our machines are built for the messy, unscripted reality of live jobsites that breaks traditional automation.
“With SoftBank’s backing, we can hire the best builders and engineers, put Gravis-powered autonomy on every major jobsite, and scale faster than anyone thought possible.”
Dai Sakata, managing director of SoftBank Group, says: “Physical AI is central to SoftBank’s vision for the next phase of AI. Gravis is bringing AI-powered autonomy to construction, helping build smarter, more efficient infrastructure, and we look forward to supporting its mission.”
