SoftBank in talks to buy majority of humanoid maker 1X at $6B valuation
What's the deal? SoftBankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → is in talks to acquire a majority stake in 1X Technologies, an OpenAI-backed humanoid robot developer, in a deal that would value the startup at about $6 billion, according to people with knowledge of the talks. The negotiations are ongoing, and terms could change.
Why now? The 12-year-old startup tried last fall to raise $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation but landed less than half that. A $6 billion valuation would mark a step down from its last share sale, though still a jump from the $820 million it commanded in January 2025.
What's the endgame? The investment would extend 1X's runway to put its soft-bodied robots in customers' homes, where they aim to help with chores. It would also reinforce SoftBank's push into what chief executive officer Masayoshi SonDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → calls "physical AI."
Son has long treated robotics as a pillar of an AI-driven world, predicting robotics paired with physical devices would yield the next $1 trillion company. His earlier bets stumbled — SoftBank stopped production of its Pepper humanoid in 2020 and exited Boston Dynamics — but AI advances have revived its interest.
That renewed appetite is showing up in deals. Last October, SoftBank agreed to buy Swiss automation firm ABBDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s robotics division for $5.4 billion, and it has invested in Agile Robots. It also formed Roze AIDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a robotics venture it plans to take public later this year or early next.
1X's ties to OpenAI run deep. OpenAI invested in the startup in 2023 through its startup fund, and the two later discussed a possible acquisition before talks fell apart. OpenAI's own humanoid work has been overshadowed by AI devices it is building with former Apple designer Jony Ive, though chief executive officer Sam Altman has voiced enthusiasm for humanoids' potential to speed data-center construction.
What could go wrong? Humanoid development remains costly and technically brutal, with the challenge of getting AI-powered robots to think, act, and move safely like humans still unsolved. SoftBank is also stretched elsewhere, refinancing a bridge loan tied to an OpenAI investment that will soon reach $65 billion.
The signal: The talks show continued investor conviction in humanoids despite the sector's steep costs. For SoftBank, physical AI has become its next frontier — and 1X could be its clearest bet yet on Son's trillion-dollar thesis.
Read more: The Information
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
