Hyundai is moving toward full ownership of robotics firm Boston Dynamics, after already holding an 80 % stake since 2020. The Japanese‑owned company keeps the remaining 20 %, and Hyundai is now slated to acquire Softbank’s 9.9 % share, worth roughly $325 million. If the deal closes, Hyundai will command the entire robotics operation.

The purchase could be a massive windfall as enterprises pivot to physical AI. Hyundai’s strategy is to create an end‑to‑end AI‑robotics chain, accelerating development, validation and commercialization of physical AI technologies. The ERA focuses on the Atlas humanoid robot, which the company debuted in a production‑ready form at CES and later walked the FIFA World Cup tunnel.

Hyundai is partnering with NVIDIA and Google DeepMind to refine Atlas. Production is slated to begin at a Georgia plant in 2028, aiming to scale to 30,000 units annually. Initial deployments will handle simple logistics and welding, with plans to tackle more complex manufacturing and assembly tasks by 2030.