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SoftBank and Yaskawa partner to advance ‘Physical AI’ robots for office environments

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SoftBank and Yaskawa Electric have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop “Physical AI” and deploy what the companies describe as a new class of robots that combine advanced decision-making with flexible, multi-purpose physical capabilities.

The collaboration brings together SoftBank’s AI-RAN initiative and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) platform with Yaskawa Electric’s robotics and motion-control technologies.

According to the press release, the companies aim to accelerate the “social implementation” of Physical AI as Japan faces labour shortages, demographic pressures, and increasingly complex business operations. [Read more…] about SoftBank and Yaskawa partner to advance ‘Physical AI’ robots for office environments

OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank expand Stargate with five new AI data center sites

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New data centers put Stargate ahead of schedule to secure full $500 billion, 10-gigawatt commitment by end of 2025.

OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank are embarking on the construction of five new US AI data center sites under Stargate, OpenAI’s overarching AI infrastructure platform.

The combined capacity from these five new sites – along with our flagship site in Abilene, Texas, and ongoing projects with CoreWeave – brings Stargate to nearly 7 gigawatts of planned capacity and over $400 billion in investment over the next three years.

This puts us on a clear path to securing the full $500 billion, 10-gigawatt commitment we announced in January by the end of 2025, ahead of schedule. [Read more…] about OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank expand Stargate with five new AI data center sites

SoftBank develops ‘robot-friendly’ server rack to enable automation at data centers

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SoftBank, a Japanese telecommunications giant which is a significant player in the robotics sector, has developed a new server rack intended to make data center hardware easier for robots to install, maintain, and replace. 

The company says the initiative will help position its infrastructure as being tailored to the demands of AI and autonomous systems.

Announced in September 2025, the rack introduces a cableless structure that allows robots to carry out tasks such as installing and removing servers, swapping faulty units, and conducting inspections. [Read more…] about SoftBank develops ‘robot-friendly’ server rack to enable automation at data centers

Gausium awards SoftBank Robotics America ‘elite certification’

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SoftBank Robotics America (SBRA), one of the world’s largest robotics companies and developer of industrial cleaning robots, has received the highest recognition and certification – Platinum Service Elite – from its partner and autonomous cleaning solutions provider, Gausium.

Gausium awarded SoftBank Robotics America (SBRA) with uts highest recognition and certification.

The Platinum Service Elite certification in was awarded by Gausium in recognition of SBRA’s successful work in delivering value in large scaled complex environments. [Read more…] about Gausium awards SoftBank Robotics America ‘elite certification’

SoftBank and Symbotic establish new ‘warehouse-as-a-service’ joint venture

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SoftBank, the telecommunications group which has wideranging interests in robotics, and Symbotic, a developer of AI-powered automation technology for the supply chain, have established a new joint venture to address the more than $500 billion annual warehouse-as-a-service market opportunity.

The newly created company is called GreenBox Systems LLC.

Concurrently, Symbotic also announced an approximately $7.5 billion new customer contract with GreenBox, who will be the exclusive provider of Symbotic systems in the warehouse-as-a-service market, and will make supply chain services available to customers. [Read more…] about SoftBank and Symbotic establish new ‘warehouse-as-a-service’ joint venture

Berkshire Grey confirms acquisition interest from SoftBank

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Berkshire Grey, a provider of AI-enabled robotic solutions that automate supply chain processes, has confirmed that it has received a non-binding indication of interest from SoftBank Group to acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of the company for $1.30 per share in cash.

Given that Berkshire Grey has more than 230 million shares outstanding, that would make the offer worth approximately $300 million. Bloomberg, meanwhile, says he deal would be worth $218 million.

The terms of any potential agreement between Berkshire Grey and SoftBank would be contingent on certain conditions, including completion of due diligence review and negotiation of definitive transaction documents. [Read more…] about Berkshire Grey confirms acquisition interest from SoftBank

SoftBank Robotics and Gausium partner to expand robotic solutions across US market

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SoftBank Robotics America (SBRA) and Gausium, an autonomous cleaning and service robots provider, have agreed a partnership to deploy indoor automated robotic solutions to the US market.

The partnership will focus on helping companies successfully adopt, integrate, and scale robotic solutions within their organizations.

X1 and the Scrubber 50 Pro (S50) are the first two solutions being deployed to support companies struggling with labor shortages or entering the next phase of transforming the way work is done. [Read more…] about SoftBank Robotics and Gausium partner to expand robotic solutions across US market

SoftBank Robotics America partners with Autonomous Solutions Inc

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SoftBank Robotics America (SBRA), the North American arm of the global leader in collaborative robotics (collaborative robotics), has formed a strategic development and equity partnership with Autonomous Solutions Inc (ASI), a leader in industrial ground vehicle automation.

The partnership will expedite the development and deployment of a wide range of autonomous commercial service vehicles. As part of the agreement, SBRA has acquired a minority stake in ASI.

With a focus on outdoor automation, the partnership will accelerate the development of practical landscaping care solutions and logistics solutions (i.e. warehouse terminals and shipping ports). [Read more…] about SoftBank Robotics America partners with Autonomous Solutions Inc

RightHand Robotics raises $66 million in Series C funding

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RightHand Robotics, a startup developing autonomous robotic picking solutions for order fulfillment, has secured $66 million in a Series C financing.

The funding round was led by investors Safar Partners, a technology venture fund; Thomas H. Lee Partners, an investor in automation and supply chain; and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, which is part of the SoftBank Group.

Zebra Technologies, Epson and Global Brain also join this round, along with previous investors GV, F-Prime Capital, Menlo Ventures, Matrix Partners and Tony Fadell’s Future Shape. Previous rounds were led by Menlo Ventures and Playground Global. [Read more…] about RightHand Robotics raises $66 million in Series C funding

Robotic Research raises $228 million in Series A funding round

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Robotic Research, a developer of autonomous mobility and robotics solutions, has raised $228 million in its Series A funding round – the first outside capital the company has raised.

This funding will drive further innovation and expansion of Robotic Research’s commercial division, RR.AI, which is focused on delivering comprehensive autonomous driving solutions for commercial truck, bus, drayage and logistics vehicles.

Investors in the Series A round include SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Enlightenment Capital, Crescent Cove Advisors, Henry Crown and Company, and Luminar Technologies. [Read more…] about Robotic Research raises $228 million in Series A funding round