SoftBank in talks to buy a majority stake in humanoid robot startup 1X at $6 billion valuation

SoftBank is in talks to buy a majority stake in OpenAI-backed humanoid robotics startup 1X Technologies in a deal that would value the company at roughly $6 billion, according to an exclusive report from The Information.

The talks are still underway, and the terms could change, the report said. A deal would give SoftBank control of one of the more closely watched humanoid robotics startups and deepen Masayoshi Son’s growing bet on AI moving from software into machines.

“SoftBank is in talks to buy a majority stake in 1X Technologies, an OpenAI-backed humanoid robot developer, in a deal that would value the startup at about $6 billion,” The Information reported, citing people with knowledge of the deal.

There is another number that makes the talks stand out. Less than a year ago, 1X was trying to raise $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation. The startup raised less than half its target, according to The Information. SoftBank is now discussing an investment at a valuation roughly 40% below that earlier target.

OpenAI has history with 1X. The ChatGPT maker invested in the startup through the OpenAI Startup Fund in 2023, joining Tiger Global and Norwegian investors. OpenAI and 1X discussed a potential acquisition last year, The Information reported, though those talks did not result in a deal.

For SoftBank, 1X would fit into a much larger robotics strategy. The Japanese investment giant agreed last year to acquire Swiss engineering group ABB’s robotics business for $5.4 billion, adding industrial robotics to a portfolio increasingly centered on AI infrastructure and automation.

From factory robots to humanoids inside the home

Founded in Moss, Norway, in 2014 as Halodi Robotics, 1X spent its early years developing androids for enterprise applications before rebranding as 1X in 2023. The company now operates between Norway and Sunnyvale, California, focusing on embodied AI, where machines learn to interact with physical environments.

CEO Bernt Øivind Børnich has steered 1X in a direction that sets it apart from many of its better-known humanoid rivals. Tesla’s Optimus and Figure AI have drawn attention for factory and industrial applications. 1X is betting that humanoid robots eventually belong inside homes.

TechStartups covered 1X in September 2025 after The Information reported that the company was seeking $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation to bring its NEO humanoid robot into homes.

NEO is a bipedal robot built to handle everyday domestic work, including folding laundry, making coffee, vacuuming and other household chores. The company has placed safety at the center of its design, an especially difficult problem for machines expected to operate around children, pets, furniture and people rather than inside controlled factories.

Earlier in 2025, 1X introduced Neo Gamma, the successor to its Neo Beta prototype. The robot features a softer exterior with a knitted nylon suit intended to reduce the risk of injuries during physical contact. 1X has been testing the machines in homes, using teleoperation as a fallback as it works toward greater autonomy.

That home-first strategy could be SoftBank’s biggest prize. Industrial robotics is already a large established market. General-purpose robots that can work safely inside millions of homes remain largely unproven.

A majority investment in 1X would give SoftBank a bet on that future before anyone knows which humanoid architecture, AI system, or business model will win. At a reported $6 billion valuation, Son appears willing to spend billions to find out.