SoftBank in talks to acquire 1X stake

SoftBank is in talks to acquire a majority stake in humanoid robot developer 1X Technologies at a valuation near $6 billion, according to The Information, though Reuters has not confirmed the report. The deal follows 1X’s rebound from a previously public claim of seeking up to $1 billion in new funding at a $10 billion valuation, a target not realized in the end. 1X markets its NEO humanoid at $20,000 with a $499 monthly option, claiming a first-year production plan of about 10,000 units and a California manufacturing site, though no third-party customer deliveries have been independently verified yet. OpenAI has previously interacted with 1X, and there were discussions about a potential acquisition last year, highlighting SoftBank’s interest in AI-enabled robotics. The broader context shows SoftBank’s continued push into embodied AI and robotics as part of Masayoshi Son’s strategy to shape the next generation of general-purpose humanoid devices.