SoftBank Pours $300 Million Into German Robot Startup as Son Singles Out Physical AI
Veröffentlicht: 03.06.2026 um 05:53 Uhr, Redaktion boerse-global.de
SoftBank is deepening its bet on the physical world. The Japanese technology group is closing in on a roughly $800 million fundraising round for Agile Robots, a Munich-based robotics company, with SoftBank contributing more than $300 million of that sum, according to people familiar with the matter. The talks are still early and terms could shift, but the move signals a clear strategic priority: Masayoshi Son is doubling down on the machines he believes will power the next trillion-dollar market.
The investment marks a return to a familiar name for SoftBank. It led Agile Robots’ $220 million Series C in 2021, turning the company into Germany’s first robotics unicorn. Founded in 2018 by researchers from the German Aerospace Center, Agile now employs over 3,200 staff across Germany, China and India, and sells humanoids, robot arms and warehouse bots. For SoftBank, it’s a concrete bet on the kind of “physical AI” that Son has recently elevated to a core theme of his investment thesis.
That thesis was laid out in detail just days ago. Speaking to CNBC from Paris, Son declared the AI revolution to be 50 times bigger than the dotcom boom of the early 2000s and said corrections — even one akin to the 1929 crash — were merely buying opportunities. He sees no bubble, arguing that the leading technologies of each era delivered decades of gains after sharp drawdowns. The cycle, he said, could run for 50 to 100 years. The French trip also saw SoftBank announce a €75 billion commitment to AI infrastructure in the country, including five gigawatts of data center capacity.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying SoftBank?
Robotics is the next piece of the puzzle. Son has been vocal about both humanoid and industrial robotics with physical AI at the core. Last year, SoftBank agreed to buy ABB’s robotics division for $5.4 billion, a deal expected to close by mid-2026. It is also exploring the creation and listing of a dedicated AI and robotics vehicle called Roze. The broader market is already heating up: global investment in robotics and physical AI hit $27.6 billion in 2025, more than double the prior year, according to PitchBook.
Inside SoftBank’s portfolio, the concentration is stark. Arm accounts for over 50% of the group’s net asset value, while OpenAI clocks in at just over 20%. Son considers that acceptable and expects OpenAI to go public soon. The company’s own financial results underline the payoff from its technology bets: for the fiscal year ended March 2026, SoftBank’s revenue rose 7.7% to roughly ¥7.8 trillion, while net profit attributable to shareholders surged 334%. The stock has gained around 70% since the start of the year and jumped 14% on Monday alone following Son’s CNBC appearance.
Not everyone is convinced the rally has more room to run. Deutsche Bank downgraded SoftBank from Buy to Hold, trimming its price target to ¥8,700. Analysts point out that holding companies like SoftBank typically trade at a discount to the sum of their stakes, meaning shareholders don’t capture full value directly. The annual general meeting is set for June 24, 2026, where investors will weigh whether Son’s expansion plans align with disciplined capital allocation — or whether the recent surge has run ahead of fundamentals.
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