Nvidia and Samsung Electronics plan to acquire minority stakes in robotics software startup Skild AI during its series B funding round.

Samsung will invest US$10 million, while Nvidia will contribute US$25 million.

The round is led by a US$100 million investment from SoftBank Group, valuing Skild AI at around US$4.5 billion.

Other South Korean companies like LG, Hanwha, and Mirae Asset are also joining, each investing between US$5 million and US$10 million.

Nvidia’s investment supports its focus on “physical AI,” which includes robots and autonomous vehicles.

Samsung, which has backed other robotics startups like Physical Intelligence, is also expanding its robotics presence.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Strategic minority investments reflect the new tech playbook for robotics innovation

Samsung’s $10 million and Nvidia’s $25 million investments in Skild AI reflect a deliberate pattern of minority stakes used by tech giants to monitor emerging robotics technologies without full acquisition commitments.

This approach mirrors a broader industry trend where tech leaders maintain visibility into promising startups through smaller investments, as seen when Jeff Bezos invested in Physical Intelligence, a robotic software startup valued at over $2 billion 1.

These investments create an innovation radar system for companies to track developments across multiple startups simultaneously.

The strategy allows companies like Nvidia, which has also invested in Figure AI and Serve Robotics, to build a portfolio of strategic positions across different robotics specializations rather than betting heavily on a single approach.

This portfolio approach is particularly valuable in robotics, where technical challenges remain significant. Companies can monitor which approaches gain traction before committing larger resources.

2️⃣ A high-stakes race is emerging among tech giants for robotics dominance

The article’s mention of Apple, Meta, Amazon, Google, and Tesla all investing heavily in robotics reflects an intensifying competition between technology’s biggest players to establish leadership positions in the next computing frontier.