• The value of real-world data. Digital AI can rely on text and images sourced from the internet, but physical AI requires precise data regarding motion, force, and touch.
Because Western factories—citing security and confidentiality concerns—do not permit the use of Chinese systems, the 30,000 units deployed by Agile within Western industrial settings (such as Audi factories) represent one of the largest available sources of real-world data for the Western market.
• Data collection methods. To circumvent the data shortage, the company employs alternative strategies. It records factory workers performing tasks and sells smaller robots to universities and laboratories, which in turn generate the information necessary for training.
“Agile Robots plans to expand in the United States and increase production in Europe after raising funds in a round led by SoftBank.
Agile Robots, a German company developing industrial robots powered by artificial intelligence, has raised $500 million in new funding from investors including SoftBank and Nvidia that values the start-up at $8.5 billion.
The investment will allow Agile to expand in the United States, increase production in Germany and move into new markets — ahead of a potential future initial public offering, said Zhaopeng Chen, Agile’s founder. The company is working with partners including Google DeepMind and has raised a total of $2 billion.
Agile is among a crop of fast-growing companies combining artificial intelligence and robotics to help factories increase productivity and lower costs. Developing humanoids and other robots that can carry out more complex tasks in the physical world is critical in Europe, which is trying to narrow an A.I. gap with the United States and China and revive its struggling industries.
“Physical A.I. is one of the solutions for Europe,” said Mr. Chen, who started the company in Germany in 2018 after studying engineering in China and completing his doctorate at the German Aerospace Center.
Agile’s valuation puts the start-up on par with European companies including Quantum Systems, the German defense technology company valued at $8 billion in July, and Wayve, the British autonomous driving company valued at $8.6 billion in February. Neura Robotics, a German company that has raised funds from companies including Nvidia, Amazon and the cryptocurrency company Tether, was valued at about $7 billion after raising as much as $1.4 billion.
Agile has deployed close to 30,000 robotics systems, including 3,000 to 4,000 humanoids, across the automotive, electronics, logistics and other sectors, Mr. Chen said. The company, based in Munich, is expected to double sales this year to about 600 million euros, or $668 million, he said.
The investment, led by SoftBank, will allow Agile to advance with plans to produce robots in the United States, potentially in Auburn Hills, Mich., after acquiring assets of ThyssenKrupp Automation Engineering in Europe and North America. (Nvidia, another investor in the fund-raising round, is in tumult while it investigates a relationship its chief executive, Jensen Huang, had with a woman who U.S. intelligence determined is a Chinese spy.)
Robotics companies still need to prove that their A.I. robots can operate reliably and safely in factories, warehouses and other settings.
One of the main challenges is collecting vast amounts of data to teach robots to perform more complex tasks.
Hexagon Robotics, a Swiss company, is working on a pilot with BMW at one of the carmaker’s plants in Leipzig, with robots expected to move into production by the first quarter of 2027. Humanoid, in Britain, aims to integrate robots into the operations of Schaeffler, a German auto supplier, by the end of 2026.
Neura has opened a robotics training center as part of a plan for a wider network and is teaming up with companies including the auto supplier Bosch, equipping more than 1,000 workers with sensor suits to record their movements and capture other data.
Mr. Chen said Europe has moved too slowly, adding that the biggest obstacle for the robotics field is “mentality.” China has deployed 2.3 million industrial robots and is moving into the next frontier of artificial intelligence.
Unitree Robotics, a Chinese maker of humanoid robots, soared 460 percent in its Shanghai trading debut in August.
However, Mr. Chen said positive signs were emerging in Europe.
“Now I think people see China and they see the U.S., and they know if they don’t change, it’s a dead end,” he said. “In the new era of physical A.I., Europe stands a chance.”” [1]
No chance.
1. Tech Giants Invest in German Robotics Start-Up at $8.5 Billion Valuation. Paton, James. New York Times (Online) New York Times Company. Nov 12, 2026.
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą