Hyundai is reportedly preparing to buy out SoftBank's remaining stake in Boston Dynamics, which would give the South Korean carmaker full ownership of the robotics firm. Hyundai already holds 80% of the company, having acquired it in 2020, and is now examining its contractual position ahead of purchasing SoftBank's outstanding 9.9% share. Bloomberg reports the move could prove highly lucrative as industries increasingly invest in "physical AI" and robotics, with Hyundai aiming to build an end-to-end AI robotics supply chain under its full control.

The stake SoftBank still holds is reportedly worth around $325 million. Hyundai's ambitions centre on Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robot, developed alongside Nvidia and Google DeepMind, which has already appeared publicly, including at CES and during the FIFA World Cup. The company plans to begin manufacturing Atlas at a Georgia plant in 2028, eventually scaling up to 30,000 units a year, initially for simple tasks such as logistics and welding, before expanding into more complex manufacturing and assembly work by 2030.