SoftBank Group Corp. finds itself on the cusp of another major robotics move. The Japanese investment powerhouse is in early talks to acquire Gravis Robotics AG, a Zurich-based company that turns ordinary excavators into self-operating machines. People familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg the deal could value the startup at more than $500 million.
But this isn’t just any buyout. SoftBank plans to fold its stake in Gravis into Roze, a brand-new holding company dedicated to artificial intelligence and robotics technologies. The structure allows for a phased approach. First come purchases of existing shares. Fresh capital injections follow. Such flexibility suits a company like SoftBank that often bets big and adjusts on the fly.
Gravis emerged from ETH Zurich in 2022. Its technology retrofits heavy construction equipment with an array of sensors. LiDAR. Cameras. GNSS positioning. Hydraulic feedback systems. The result? Machines that adapt to real-world conditions rather than follow rigid scripts. A machine can be taught to feel the soil through its hydraulics. Output jumps by about 30 percent. Operators switch between autonomous and manual modes using a tablet called Slate. The hardware kit goes by the name Rack.
CEO Ryan Luke Johns brings an architect’s eye to robotics. He previously trained as one before pivoting to machines. CTO Dominic Jud handles technical execution. Marco Hutter, an ETH professor and co-founder, lends academic heft. Their combined expertise shows in the deployments. Gravis systems now run at sites across seven countries. Taylor Woodrow used them at Manchester Airport. Flannery and Holcim tapped the technology for quarries and other projects.
Last November the startup closed a $23 million funding round. IQ Capital and Zacua Ventures co-led it. Participants included Pear VC, Sunna Ventures and Holcim itself. That capital fueled expansion. Yet the arrival of SoftBank interest signals something larger. The Next Web first highlighted how the potential tie-up would stretch Masayoshi Son’s robotics ambitions from factory floors straight onto building sites.
Son’s thesis feels straightforward enough. Software artificial intelligence has matured. The next wave belongs to machines that inhabit the physical world. Embodied AI. He has poured resources into this belief. In October 2025 SoftBank agreed to buy ABB’s robotics division for $5.4 billion. The deal, financed by banks including BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, HSBC and Mizuho, is slated to close in the second half of 2026. ABB brings industrial robot arms with strong automotive ties in Japan plus advanced perception capabilities. Interact Analysis noted the 17.2 times EBITDA multiple aligned with recent industrial deals even as AI hype inflates some valuations.
Construction robotics fit neatly into the portfolio. Gravis would complement ABB’s factory focus by addressing outdoor, unstructured environments. Early talks for an $800 million investment in Agile Robots add another layer of Swiss expertise in sensitive manipulation tasks. SoftBank also committed $500 million to Skild AI, a firm developing generalist robot brains. And it sold its Boston Dynamics stake to Hyundai for $325 million, trimming exposure to research-oriented quadrupeds while sharpening commercial intent.
Global robotics investment tells its own story. It doubled to $27.6 billion in 2025. Construction remains a stubborn holdout. Traditional players like Caterpillar, Komatsu and Volvo dominate with incremental automation. Startups such as Monumental, which raised $32 million in a Series B, chase similar retrofit plays. Gravis stands out for its hydraulic sensing that lets machines respond to variable soil and material conditions in real time. No fixed programs. Adaptive behavior instead.
Analysts see the Roze structure as strategic. It lets SoftBank consolidate varied assets under one roof. Industrial arms from ABB. Construction autonomy from Gravis. Foundational models from Skild. The holding company could eventually house humanoid efforts too. Son has long chased grand visions. Remember the $100 billion Vision Fund? This robotics collection looks more tangible. Real revenue. Real customers. Real hardware already on job sites.
Challenges remain. Integration across companies won’t prove simple. ABB’s large-scale manufacturing culture differs from Gravis’ lean startup approach. Regulatory hurdles in construction safety could slow adoption. And competition intensifies. Chinese firms push hard in robotics exports. SoftBank aims to build the most ambitious collection outside that market.
Gravis machines already deliver measurable gains. One operator can oversee multiple units. Downtime drops. Precision improves on repetitive tasks like trenching or grading. Yet full autonomy in chaotic construction environments still demands human oversight. The Slate tablet keeps operators in the loop. That hybrid model appeals to contractors wary of fully driverless claims.
SoftBank’s track record mixes spectacular wins with notable misses. Berkshire Grey, a warehouse robotics firm, required a discounted buyout years ago. Lessons learned there seem to inform the current selectivity. Focus on companies with proven deployments. Gravis fits. Its systems operate in Europe, the US, Latin America and Asia. Not lab prototypes. Working equipment.
So what comes next? If the acquisition proceeds, expect accelerated product development. Gravis could tap ABB’s global sales channels. Roze might fund larger R&D into multi-machine coordination. Fleet-level autonomy where several excavators collaborate without constant supervision. The technology exists in pieces. Connecting them remains the prize.
Industry insiders watch closely. Construction productivity has lagged other sectors for decades. Robotics promise to change that equation. Labor shortages exacerbate the problem. An aging workforce retires. Young people choose different careers. Autonomous machines don’t get tired. They don’t demand overtime. They work through weather that halts human crews.
But hype must meet reality. Many robotics startups overpromised and underdelivered. Gravis avoids some pitfalls by starting with retrofits rather than entirely new vehicles. Contractors keep their existing fleets. They add the Rack kit. Simple in theory. Complex in execution given the variety of machine models and ages.
SoftBank’s interest validates the approach. A $500 million valuation would represent a healthy premium over the recent $23 million raise. It also reflects broader market enthusiasm for physical AI. Software valuations soared first. Hardware with intelligence now commands attention and capital.
Details could still shift. The Bloomberg report described early-stage discussions. No binding agreement exists yet. Valuations fluctuate. Terms remain fluid. Yet the strategic logic holds firm. Son wants leadership in the machines that will build tomorrow’s infrastructure. Gravis offers a direct on-ramp to that future.
Watch for updates in coming weeks. If Roze begins operations with Gravis inside, it will mark a significant expansion of SoftBank’s physical AI thesis. From warehouses to factories to construction sites. The bets compound. The vision sharpens. And the industry inches closer to a future where robots don’t just assist. They take the controls.
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