Hyundai Motor Group has agreed to acquire approximately 80% stake in American engineering and robotics design company Boston Dynamics from SoftBank Group for US$1.1bn. The move can fuel Hyundai’s long-term goal to become a smart mobility solutions provider by leveraging Boston Dynamics’ robots such as bipedal and quadruped equipped with 3D vision, navigation and advanced intelligence, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Venkata Naveen, Senior Disruptive Tech Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Hyundai’s move to acquire major stake in Boston Dynamics polarizes with many automakers competing to add their name to the me-too stack of autonomous carmakers by purchasing self-driving tech startups. Moreover, the strategic location of Boston Dynamics in the Silicon Valley gives an advantage to Hyundai to collaborate with tech startups as well as pool the right talent.”
‘In 2013, Google purchased Boston Dynamics to power its core robotic division and eventually create new robotics technologies for commercial applications. But the startup did not meet any commercial success and began losing talent after Google’s restructuring into Alphabet.
In 2017, SoftBank acquired Boston Dynamics to push its smart robotics capabilities. Apart from a few interesting videos of its humanoid and dog-like robots, there was no direct visible benefit to SoftBank.
Naveen continues: “Integrating Boston Dynamics’ robotic technologies with the automotive expertise can strengthen Hyundai’s position in smart mobility, especially in areas such as robo-taxis, personal air vehicles and last-mile mobility.”
The last two years saw both automakers and tech giants ramp up their bets on autonomous vehicles by acquiring startups into self-driving technology. Apple acquired Drive.ai, Amazon purchased Zoox and Daimler snapped Torc Robotics.
Naveen concludes: “In contrast, Hyundai’s acquisition of Boston Dynamics is the first in line of such strategies in the automotive industry to build a smart mobility ecosystem for faster, cheaper and sustainable transportation.”
- Quotes are provided by Venkata Naveen, Senior Disruptive Tech Analyst at GlobalData
- The information is based on GlobalData’s Disruptor Database
- This press release was written using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis conducted by GlobalData’s team of industry experts
About GlobalData’s Disruptor Database
Disruptor Database decodes emerging tech-enabled opportunities with must-have information on promising start-ups, technology led innovations, latest sector trends, consumer insights, and venture capital portfolio investments. It helps monitor competitor strategies, predict emerging trends, monetize disruptive innovation, decode smart money, mine thought leadership, and capture digital consumers.
About GlobalData
4,000 of the world’s largest companies, including over 70% of FTSE 100 and 60% of Fortune 100 companies, make more timely and better business decisions thanks to GlobalData’s unique data, expert analysis and innovative solutions, all in one platform. GlobalData’s mission is to help our clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative across a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer, retail, financial, technology and professional services sectors.