Sotbank buys Boston Dynamics from Alphabet

Nieuws Algemeen Wereld 9 JUN 2017
Sotbank buys Boston Dynamics from Alphabet

SoftBank will be buying Boston Dynamics from Alphabet, for an undisclosed amount. The company said the deal is in line with its strategy of investing into paradigm-shifting technologies and its vision of pushing the next wave of smart robotics. Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son believes smart robotics will be the key driver in the next stage of the Information Revolution.

Boston Dynamics is led by CEO and founder Marc Raibert, who will be joining Softbank with his team.

Under the terms of the deal, SoftBank has also agreed to acquire Japanese bipedal robotics company Schaft. Founded in 2012 in the JSK Robotics Laboratory at the University of Tokyo, the company is led by co-founders Yuto Nakanishi, Junichi Urata, Narito Suzuki and Koichi Nishiwaki. The transaction is subject to the usualclosing conditions and regulatory approvals.

After putting the units up for sale last year, Google entered talks to sell Boston Dynamics and Shaft to Toyota. Google first acquired the company at the end of 2013. 

Categories:

Algemeen

Companies:

Google,  Softbank,  Alphabet

Regions:

Wereld

Tags:

Data services, Enterprise equipment, Consumer devices, Corporate strategy, M&A buyouts & divestments

Related Articles

WERELD 21 JUN 2017

Security startup Cybereason gets USD 100 mln from SoftBank

US cybersecurity startup Cybereason has announced the signing of a USD 100 million investment from Japanese telecom firm SoftBank. The Boston-based startup has now raised a total of USD 189 million in capital from SoftBank, CRV, Spark Capital and Lockheed Martin since being founded in 2012. Cybereason said its proprietary, automated SaaS cybersecurity technology and monitoring services have protected hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies from attacks including, most recently, the global WannaCry Ransomware att

WERELD 1 JUN 2016

Google to sell robotics activities to Toyota - report

Toyota is in final talks with Google to purchase two major robot companies, the Nikkei reports. The sale of the two companies, Boston Dynamics and Schaft, would allow Google to concentrate on self-driving vehicles and other new markets, while giving a boost to Toyota's early work on robotics. The Japanese automaker plans to make the purchase through Toyota Research Institute, established in January to develop artificial intelligence. Toyota and Google have yet to agree on details, and the deal could still f

WERELD 18 MAR 2016

Google puts Boston Dynamics robotics up for sale - report

Google has put Boston Dynamics for sale, with parent Alphabet believing the robotics start-up will probably not produce a marketable product over the next few years, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. Possible acquirers include the Toyota Research Institute and Amazon.com, which makes robots for its fulfillment centers, according to one source.

WERELD 16 DEC 2013

Google buys robotics company Boston Dynamics

Google confirmed it has acquired Boston Dynamics, an engineering company based in Waltham, Massachusetts, that has designed mobile research robots for the Pentagon, the New York Times reported. No financial nor strategic details were disclosed. It is the eighth robotics company that Google has acquired in the last half-year. Google robotics operations are headed by Andy Rubin, the Google executive who spearheaded the development of Android.Boston Dynamics' walking robots have a reputation for being agile,

Just In

19 DEC 16:42

SLT-Mobitel launches 5G network in Sri Lanka

19 DEC 16:19

Dialog Axiata launches 5G network, connects 1.5 million subscribers

19 DEC 15:56

UK govt to ban AI-enabled nudification apps to protect women, girls

19 DEC 15:42

3 UK launches last-minute Christmas sale

Commentary

13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

11:11

KPN's mixed performance in Q3 raises questions for strategy day

15:26

Stock markets breaking records but what happened to Odido's IPO plans?

Background

01:04

The week in telecom: Wi-Fi bolt-ons take off to boost broadband growth, video market works on consolidation

01:39

The week in telecom: Netflix wins bidding for Warner Bros, Apple poaches new execs, Samsung debuts trifold

13:51

Proximus vs. Telenet: Proximus performs better in Q3 while Telenet uses up cash

14:16

Proximus Domestic still struggling with low margins

Complete profile

Before downloading the whitepaper, we would like to ask you to complete your profile with company and position. After confirming you will receive the white paper.