SoftBank Group Corp. has agreed to buy the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI) from Hyundai Motor Group, according to a report by The Robot Report published on September 18, 2026. The deal had been rumored for a couple of months. It is now under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Neither side has disclosed financial terms.
The CFIUS review is no formality. RAI is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the buyer is a Japanese tech conglomerate. A US robotics research lab changing hands between two foreign owners is exactly the kind of deal the committee examines.
What SoftBank is buying
RAI is a research lab, not a product company. It was founded in 2022 as part of Hyundai’s acquisition of Boston Dynamics, and Hyundai spun it out with an initial investment of more than $400 million. Its work covers the core problems of getting robots to act in the physical world:
- robot control and advanced learning for control
- perception and navigation in challenging environments
- dexterous manipulation
- data-driven AI models for physical robot interaction
- the ethics of robots in society
The lab’s best-known result is the whole-body learning framework behind the acrobatic moves of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid. Its website also features AthenaZero, a robot that juggles using onboard vision.
A familiar cast
The deal brings back some old connections. Marc Raibert, who serves as RAI’s Executive Director, founded Boston Dynamics in 1992 and later founded RAI. He ran Boston Dynamics while Google owned it (2013–2017) and while SoftBank owned it (2017–2021), then stepped down as CEO in January 2020. In 2021 Hyundai bought a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics at a $1.1 billion valuation. That deal gave rise to RAI, and now SoftBank is buying the lab from Hyundai. Boston Dynamics itself is not part of this deal.
Part of a bigger robotics push
SoftBank is building a large robotics portfolio. On October 8, 2025, it announced an agreement to buy ABB’s robotics business for USD 5.375 billion. SoftBank targeted closing that deal in mid-to-late 2026, subject to approvals in the European Union, China and the United States. SoftBank describes that purchase as part of its “Physical AI” strategy, alongside holdings such as SoftBank Robotics Group, Berkshire Grey and Agile Robots.
The two deals fit together. ABB brings industrial robots that already work in factories around the world, about 7,000 employees and USD 2.279 billion in fiscal 2024 revenue. RAI brings research on the learning, perception and dexterity that could make those machines far more adaptable. If CFIUS approves the RAI deal, SoftBank would own both the hardware and the lab working on the software.
Neither company is saying much yet. RAI told The Robot Report: “We don’t have anything to share on this topic right now.” SoftBank had not responded to the outlet’s inquiries at the time of publication.
