Hyundai has officially become a 100 percent owner of Boston Dynamics. The Korean auto giant has announced that it is acquiring the remaining stake from Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, ending an acquisition process that began back in 2021. This strategic move is not just a financial transaction, but a clear signal that Hyundai intends to fully integrate advanced robotic technologies into its business and become a key player in the so-called physical artificial intelligence market.
Recall that a few years ago, Hyundai bought an 80 percent stake in Boston Dynamics for approximately $880 million, valuing the company at $1.1 billion. SoftBank then retained a 20 percent stake with a contractual option to sell the remaining portion in the future. Now, as reported by Korean media, SoftBank has exercised that option, making Hyundai and its subsidiaries, together with Chairman Euisun Chung, the sole owners of this legendary company known for robots that push the boundaries of the possible.
Full control will allow Hyundai to make more agile decisions, direct long-term investments and accelerate development without having to align with another major shareholder.
Plano with Atlas
At the center of Hyundai’s plans is the humanoid robot Atlas, which has gained worldwide fame thanks to impressive videos in which it performs parkourdances and performs complex motor tasks. But the time of demonstrations has passed. The company plans to accelerate the commercialization of Atlas and bring it into the real world of industrial production. After years of testing, Boston Dynamics presented a new, all-electric version of the Atlas designed specifically for industrial applications, which is significantly more powerful and agile than its predecessors.
Hyundai intends to build a complete value chain for AI robotics, from development and validation to mass production and commercialization. The first step is the integration of Atlas into our own plants. The plan is to start production in 2028 at a factory in the US state of Georgia, with the ambitious goal of producing up to 30,000 humanoid robots per year. The first tasks for Atlas robots will be relatively simple – taking over logistics jobs, sorting parts and welding in Hyundai and Kia factories.
However, by 2030, robots are expected to be capable of performing significantly more complex processes, such as assembling automotive components, which could revolutionize production lines. In this venture, Hyundai cooperates with technological giants such as Nvidia and Google DeepMind, which further confirms the seriousness and technological depth of the project.