Hyundai Motor spends $325 million to buy out Boston Dynamics, and SoftBank exits, cashing out and shifting focus to AI

Modern Auto Group (Hyundai Motor Group) is set to invest $325 million to acquire the remaining 9.65% equity stake held by SoftBank, officially gaining full 100% control of the well-known robotics company Boston Dynamics. By 2028, the latest Atlas humanoid robot is expected to be officially deployed at Hyundai’s electric vehicle factories; meanwhile, SoftBank will cash out and exit, fully shifting its focus to the AI infrastructure battlefield.
(Background: The U.S. energy regulator FERC orders six major grid operators to “accelerate” their AI data center interconnection application requests)
(Additional context: The lesson from the closure of Mythos: Is it better to rent AI or own it outright? Control determines life and death)

Table of Contents

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• $325 million buyout ends Boston Dynamics’ wandering history
• Atlas humanoid robot to enter its own factory in 2028
• SoftBank’s major strategic pivot: heavy reinvestment in AI infrastructure
• Intense competition in the humanoid robot track

Commercial competition in the humanoid robot track has entered a brand-new stage. According to the latest report on June 19, 2026, Hyundai Motor Group is about to purchase the remaining 9.65% stake in Boston Dynamics held by SoftBank, in a deal worth $325 million.

It is expected that Hyundai’s board will officially approve the acquisition on June 22. After the transaction is completed, this robot pioneer, famous for dazzling parkour videos on YouTube, will be fully brought under Hyundai’s umbrella—symbolizing Boston Dynamics’ commercial transition from “lab demonstrations” to “factory operations,” marking a new era for real-world production.

$325 million buyout ends Boston Dynamics’ wandering history

Looking back at Boston Dynamics’ development history, it can be described as a “wandering saga” among tech giants. The company was acquired by Google (Alphabet) in 2013, and then transferred to Japan’s SoftBank Group in 2017. It was not until 2021 that Hyundai bought 80% of its stake for about $880 million (at that time, the valuation was about $1.1 billion) that majority control was established.

In that transaction, SoftBank retained a Put Option, and this $325 million deal is the result of SoftBank exercising the option as agreed. This is not only a simple cleanup of equity—it also signifies Hyundai’s decision to deeply link Boston Dynamics’ locomotion control technology (Locomotion) with its future smart manufacturing blueprint.

Atlas humanoid robot to enter Hyundai’s factory in 2028

After taking full control, Hyundai has devised a highly ambitious commercial deployment plan for Boston Dynamics. At CES on January 5, 2026, both sides publicly showcased the new “electric version of Atlas” humanoid robot, demonstrating smooth abilities in standing, walking, and remote operation.

According to the plan, the production version of Atlas will officially enter Hyundai’s electric vehicle factory (Metaplant) in Savannah, Georgia in 2028 for hands-on implementation. In the initial stage, it will be responsible for tasks such as parts sorting, with plans to expand to heavier, more complex operations by 2030. To achieve this goal, Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter emphasized that Atlas must be able to learn new factory tasks within 1 to 2 days, and reach 99.9% reliability. To strengthen supply-chain integration, Hyundai’s parts division, Hyundai Mobis, has also been deeply involved in the production of Atlas actuators (Actuator).

SoftBank’s major strategic pivot: heavy reinvestment in AI infrastructure

On the other hand, SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son’s complete exit reflects a major shift in its strategic focus. For SoftBank—which has poured $41 billion into OpenAI—selling Boston Dynamics is only a minor adjustment of assets. Son’s current attention is fully locked onto the “AI infrastructure layer.”

It is reported that SoftBank is actively preparing to establish a new company called “Roze AI.” The goal is to combine artificial intelligence and robotics technology to build physical infrastructure such as data centers, and to pursue a valuation as high as $100 billion. For SoftBank, capital-intensive companies with slow returns—“hardware product companies”—no longer meet its needs; shifting to AI computing power and infrastructure is the main battlefield for the next decade.

Intense competition in the humanoid robot track

With Hyundai taking full control of Boston Dynamics, competition in the humanoid robot market is already heating up. Currently, Tesla is focusing its factory strategy entirely on its self-developed Optimus; the startup Figure AI has successfully entered BMW’s factories for trials; and Chinese manufacturers such as Unitree are rapidly grabbing market share with their highly disruptive, low-cost advantages.

Boston Dynamics’ biggest advantage is that it has Hyundai as a “ready-made super customer,” enabling continuous testing and iteration in its own factories, without having to face the massive pressure of initial external sales. If Atlas can successfully prove its commercial practicality and reliability by 2028, it will not only represent a major upgrade to Hyundai’s manufacturing capabilities, but will also become a key milestone in the commercialization and on-the-ground rollout of the entire humanoid robot industry.