Hyundai Acquires SoftBank's Remaining Stake to Fully Own Boston Dynamics

Hyundai is acquiring SoftBank Group's remaining 9.65% stake in Boston Dynamics for $325 million, making the robotics company a wholly owned subsidiary^2,4. The deal values Boston Dynamics at over $20 billion.

Hyundai first acquired an 80% controlling stake in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank in 2021 for $1.1 billion. The implied valuation has increased roughly 18-fold in approximately five years.

The buyout follows SoftBank's decision to exercise a put option on its remaining shares. Hyundai said its shareholders are reviewing contractual rights and obligations related to the transaction.

The consolidation is tied directly to Hyundai's AI robotics strategy. The company aims to build an end-to-end artificial intelligence robotics value chain linking Boston Dynamics' physical AI expertise with Hyundai's global manufacturing capabilities.

The centerpiece of that strategy is the Atlas humanoid robot, whose production-ready version was unveiled at CES in January. Hyundai plans to deploy Atlas at its plant in Georgia starting in 2028. The company intends to build capacity to produce as many as 30,000 humanoid robots annually. The robots are expected to begin with simple tasks such as welding and logistics before being used for more complex manufacturing processes, including component assembly, by 2030.

Boston Dynamics' product lineup also includes Spot, a four-legged robot that has found commercial applications in industrial inspection. Hyundai plans to integrate Boston Dynamics robots into its manufacturing processes starting in 2028.

Boston Dynamics was founded as a spinout from MIT in 1992 and has passed through multiple owners, including Google and SoftBank, before Hyundai took control.

The full acquisition eliminates governance friction from shared board seats and stakeholder alignment requirements that come with minority shareholders.

ANALYSIS The transaction converts what was already operational control into complete ownership, removing any structural barriers to deep integration of Boston Dynamics' robotics technology into Hyundai's manufacturing operations. ANALYSIS The 30,000-unit annual production target and the concrete 2028 deployment timeline at Hyundai's Georgia plant position this as an industrial-scale robotics commitment rather than a research-stage investment.