Skild AI aims to build a scalable foundation model for robotics. Credit: Anggalih Prasetya/Shutterstock.

SoftBank is reportedly in discussions to spearhead a $500m funding round in AI robotics software startup Skild AI.

If successful, this funding round could elevate Skild AI’s valuation to $4bn, a significant increase from its $1.5bn valuation in 2024, reported Bloomberg citing people familiar with the matter.

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In July 2024, Skild AI secured $300m in Series A funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue, SoftBank Group, and Jeff Bezos (through Bezos Expeditions).

The round also saw participation from Sequoia, Menlo Ventures, Felicis Ventures, General Catalyst, Amazon, SV Angel, CRV, and Carnegie Mellon University.

At that time, Skild AI said the capital was intended to continue to advance its model and training datasets for future commercial deployment of its technology as well as for hiring for roles across AI, robotics, engineering, operations, and security.

The new investment in Skild AI has been confirmed by three people familiar with the matter, reported Financial Times.

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However, sources have advised that the negotiations are in preliminary stages and there is no certainty that it will come to fruition.

Established in 2023, Skild AI is working on a scalable foundation model that acts as a “shared, general-purpose brain” for different robots and real-world applications.

Skild AI CEO and co-founder Deepak Pathak said: “The large-scale model we are building demonstrates unparalleled generalisation and emergent capabilities across robots and tasks, providing significant potential for automation within real-world environments.

“We believe Skild AI represents a step change in how robotics will be scaled, and has the potential to change the entire physical economy.”

Earlier in January 2025, SoftBank and OpenAI unveiled plans for a $500bn US artificial intelligence infrastructure project, known as Stargate.

The project involves an initial investment of $100bn, with plans to increase this to $500bn over the next four years.