Agile Robots raises $500 million at $8.5 billion valuation
Agile Robots has closed a $500 million Series F led by SoftBank Group at an $8.5 billion valuation, according to TechTimes. The Munich company says it will use the funding for U.S. expansion, additional production capacity including in Germany, and entry into new markets.
Nvidia, Hitachi, Hitachi Ventures and T.Capital also participated. The round brings total funding to about $2 billion, TechTimes reported, citing Forbes. SoftBank previously led Agile’s $220 million Series C through Vision Fund 2 in September 2021, when the business was valued at about $1 billion.
The Agile Robots funding round backs a company with an established industrial robotics business as well as humanoid ambitions. Forbes reported more than 20,000 robotic solutions deployed across automotive, consumer electronics and logistics customers. That installed base covers its broader robotics portfolio, rather than a count of humanoids in service.
Factory capacity and production targets differ
Agile says its Fürstenfeldbruck plant near Munich can build up to 10,000 legged and wheeled humanoids annually. Forbes described that figure as maximum capacity and reported seeing wheeled humanoids shipping during its visit. Agile has not disclosed a humanoid shipment count.
The full size Agile ONE stands 174 cm tall, weighs 69 kg and has a stated payload of up to 20 kg, according to specifications cited by TechTimes. Its stated walking speed is 2 m/s.
A separate production target concerns the smaller Agile ONE S and ONE SN, aimed at universities and corporate research laboratories. TechTimes, citing CEO Zhaopeng Chen’s October 21 comments to Reuters, reported that production is planned to begin by the end of 2026, with 1,000 to 2,000 units expected in 2027. Those compact robots stand about 1.4 metres tall. The distinction is important for interpreting the manufacturing plan: the compact research models have a unit target, while the factory capacity figure covers legged and wheeled humanoids.
Research hardware alongside an Audi logistics trial
The ONE SN combines Nvidia’s Isaac GR00T development platform, GR00T 1.7 vision language action model and Jetson Thor onboard computer. It has 71 degrees of freedom, including its tactile hands. Nvidia robotics product director Spencer Huang told Reuters that the configured system could save researchers two to three months of integrating separately purchased components, according to TechTimes.
For industrial applications, Agile is working with Audi, Dassault Systèmes and Nvidia on a proof of concept for parts sequencing at Audi’s Ingolstadt Production Lab. The project uses mobile humanoids, with validation first conducted in a DELMIA virtual twin accelerated by Nvidia Omniverse libraries.
Agile expects the ONE SN to become available at the beginning of 2027, giving research customers a nearer term delivery target alongside its industrial humanoid development work.
Source: Tech Times
