Robotics

Today's Stories

1. 1

   Tesla Q2 Revenue Surges; AI, Robotics Spending Hits $5.8B

   Tesla reported strong second-quarter revenue growth while disclosing $5.8 billion（約9300億円） in capital expenditure directed toward artificial intelligence and robotics initiatives. The spending reveals Tesla's aggressive pivot toward autonomous vehicles and AI-powered manufacturing, signaling that the company views these technologies as central to its future competitiveness rather than optional investments.

   The outcome of Tesla's AI and robotics development—particularly progress on autonomous driving and manufacturing automation—will determine whether the $5.8 billion（約9300億円） outlay translates into tangible products and margin improvement.

2. 2

   Physical AI funding hits $23B in 2026; Waymo leads with $16B Series D

   Physical AI companies have raised more than $23 billion（約3.7兆円） in venture capital in 2026 so far, with major deals including Waymo's $16 billion（約2.6兆円） Series D, Skild AI's $1.4 billion（約2200億円） Series C, NEURA Robotics' $1.4 billion（約2200億円） Series C, and Physical Intelligence's $1 billion（約1600億円） in funding. Robots are shifting from relying solely on deterministic programming to using AI to perceive, comprehend, decide, and act autonomously. This shift is enabling automation in factories, warehouses, and other domains, with companies betting on physical AI to address labor shortages and precision needs across multiple markets.

   Much of the investment focus has been on foundation models, improving industrial automation, and autonomous vehicle and humanoid form factors. The biggest expectations are concentrated in North America.

3. 3

   Medtronic launches AI compute platform for operating rooms

   Medtronic is launching an AI compute platform for operating rooms. Touch Surgery, the platform, bridges pre-operative planning and training, intra-operative tele-mentoring and tele-proctoring, and post-operative insights. The platform integrates AI support across the entire surgical workflow—from planning through recovery—potentially streamlining how surgical teams prepare, execute, and learn from procedures. This may help hospitals coordinate care and capture data at each stage.

   The body does not specify a launch date, pricing, availability by region, or which hospitals will first use the platform.

4. 4

   Hyundai denies robot plan tied to strike talks

   Hyundai stated that its plan to develop a humanoid robot is not part of ongoing negotiations with striking workers, after the union had previously warned the automaker that any robot deployment must be negotiated as part of labor discussions. The union's concern reflects broader labor anxieties about automation—workers fear that robots introduced without negotiation could displace jobs or alter working conditions. Hyundai's separation of the robot project from strike talks may signal tension between the company's automation strategy and worker protections.

   Whether the union accepts Hyundai's claim that the robot plan is independent, and whether future labor agreements include explicit provisions about automation and robot deployment at the company.

5. 5

   Kalanick's Atoms raises $1.7B led by a16z; Uber rejoins as investor

   Travis Kalanick's robotics company Atoms raised $1.7 billion（約2700億円） in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with Bain Capital, Fifth Wall, and Uber also participating. Ben Horowitz will join Atoms' board. Atoms is a rebranded holding company built on Cloud Kitchens, Kalanick's ghost kitchen venture, and now includes Pronto, an automation company run by former Uber colleague Anthony Levandowski. Kalanick frames the round as completing a vision to digitize and control the physical world using software—a project he began 16 years ago at Uber and continued at Cloud Kitchens.

   Kalanick has stated he wants to build a 'wheelbase for robots' with Atoms, though he has not disclosed specific product details. Uber's participation marks a reconnection with the company that pushed him out as CEO in 2017 over workplace misconduct allegations.

6. 6

   Sila raises $300M to scale US silicon battery anode manufacturing

   Battery startup Sila raised $300 million（約480億円） in private funding led by Atreides Management and Sutter Hill Ventures to expand production of its Titan Silicon® anode technology at its Moses Lake, Washington facility. The company began operations there in fall 2025 with Phase 1 capacity of 2 GWh and plans to expand to as much as 250 GWh of annual capacity over the next five years. China currently dominates global anode material processing and battery cell manufacturing, creating supply chain risks for drone, defense, satellite, sensor, AI, robotics, and electric vehicle industries. Sila's silicon-carbon anode delivers 20% to 40% higher energy density than traditional graphite anodes while supporting faster charging—improvements that could extend drone flight times and payload capacity. Domestic production of advanced battery materials reduces dependence on overseas suppliers as U.S. policy increasingly emphasizes secure sourcing for critical technologies.

   If completed as planned, the Moses Lake site would become the world's largest anode production facility and is expected to create hundreds of manufacturing jobs in Washington State as production scales over the next five years.