SoftBank to buy Robotics and AI Institute from Hyundai

The RAI Institute was created in 2022 as part of Hyundai Motor Group's acquisition of Boston Dynamics, and Hyundai spun it out with more than $400 million in initial funding. That initial funding has now ended, according to multiple sources. The institute is based in Cambridge, Mass., while SoftBank is a Japanese tech conglomerate, and the two already share history: SoftBank owned Boston Dynamics from 2017 to 2021, and Marc Raibert founded both Boston Dynamics and RAI.

The deal arrives alongside SoftBank's planned $5.3 billion acquisition of ABB's robotics business, originally expected to close by mid-to-late 2026. ABB brings decades of industrial automation and robotics experience, while RAI brings AI research — a pairing that could combine ABB's capabilities and installed base with RAI's strengths in AI and research, if both deals close. Hyundai also said in July 2026 that its shareholders were pursuing the acquisition of SoftBank's remaining 9.65% stake in Boston Dynamics after SoftBank exercised a "put" option.

The outcome now hinges on CFIUS, which reviews foreign investments in U.S. businesses for national security impact and is led by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Since it is unknown how far along the review is, and neither company would comment on the transaction, the timeline for Raibert's robotics legacy changing hands again remains uncertain.