SoftBank Group is in talks to buy a majority stake in OpenAI-backed humanoid robot developer 1X Technologies in a deal that would value the Norwegian startup at roughly $6 billion, according to a report from The Information — a 40 percent discount to the price 1X was seeking barely a year ago.
A majority bet on a home-robot bet
The talks, described by The Information as still fluid and subject to change, would give Masayoshi Son control of one of the more closely watched humanoid startups outside China and slot 1X into a robotics portfolio anchored by SoftBank's $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB's robotics unit. If the deal closes at the reported $6 billion valuation, it would land well below the $10 billion 1X was targeting last fall when it tried to raise $1 billion and, per The Information, only pulled in less than half that target.
Home-first strategy sets 1X apart
Founded in Moss, Norway in 2014 as Halodi Robotics and rebranded in 2023, 1X has taken a home-robot path that separates it from industrial-focused rivals such as Tesla's Optimus and Figure AI. Its NEO bipedal platform is designed to fold laundry, vacuum and make coffee, and the Neo Gamma successor introduced a knitted-nylon soft exterior to reduce injury risk during close-contact operation.
SoftBank doubles down on physical AI
OpenAI first backed 1X through the OpenAI Startup Fund in 2023 and reportedly discussed a full acquisition last year that never materialized. SoftBank's talks come as Son continues piling capital into physical AI, following SoftBank's exit from Boston Dynamics to Hyundai earlier this year and its multi-billion-dollar commitments to OpenAI.
What the price gap means
The reported $6 billion tag lands amid a broader repricing of humanoid deals: pre-production leaders such as XPENG Robotics and AgiBot have kept private valuations aloft, while household-scale bets like 1X still have to prove real-world autonomy at scale. A SoftBank majority stake would give 1X the capital to accelerate NEO's transition from teleoperated pilots to fully autonomous deployment inside customers' homes.
Reporting based on coverage from The Information, TechStartups and Bloomberg.