Samsung joins NVIDIA in making an investment in a robotics company

Consumer robotics is projected to be a multi-billion dollar industry down the line. Major players like Tesla, and countless startups, have all been working on the technologies that will enable a future where humanoid robots are as ubiquitous as smartphones.

Companies that aren't directly involved in the development of these technologies are making investments in startups to indirectly benefit from the robotics boom. To that end, Samsung has joined NVIDIA in making a significant investment in a robotics startup.

Bloomberg reports that both Samsung and NVIDIA are taking minority stakes in Skild AI Inc., a company that makes software for robots. Samsung is reportedly making a $10 million investment in the company while NVIDIA is putting in $25 million.

This latest raise if part of Skild AI's Series B funding round led by a $100 million investment from Japan's SoftBank. The company is raising these funds at a $4.5 billion valuation. Samsung isn't the only Korean company that's put money into this startup. LG, Hanwha, and Mirae Asset have also put between $5 million to $10 million in the startup.

This investment allows Samsung to keep an exposure into the startup and have visibility into its progress without having to make a major investment. It's also keeping pace with the other Korean conglomerates that have invested in Skild AI.

The report does mention that Samsung believes some parts of Skild's solutions to be inferior to others, perhaps that's why it's making a cautious initial investment. Samsung has been sprinkling money around in similar startups, it most recently obtained a minority stake in Physical Intelligence, another startup that's working on robotic algorithms.